WORKPLACE CULTURE
PARANOIA OVER PRODUCTIVITY
Manilka Ediriweera explores the impact of doubt on workplace dynamics
Productivity paranoia succinctly summarises a growing concern in the modern workplace, where leaders doubt the productivity levels of their employees. It’s that little voice in their heads that asks ‘are they really working?’ – even when their people are logging more hours and are fully engaged in their tasks.
You might think that productivity paranoia is related to remote work but the truth is that while the term was coined quite recently, the concept has existed for years.
A prime example of this is how some organisations have blocked access to social media on their office networks. However, productivity paranoia has since escalated in today’s age of hybrid and remote work, where the sense of control has shifted away from the hands of managers.
In fact, a recent survey by Microsoft reveals that a whopping 85 percent of leaders aren’t convinced that their teams are productive.
While productivity paranoia can help leaders keep track of their team’s output, it comes with substantial costs.
Firstly, when leaders hop on this particularly paranoid train, it can put their teams on edge and leave employees feeling mentally, physically and emotionally drained. Burnout, disengagement and decreased productivity won’t be far behind.
As a result, employees may become more prone to mistakes or simply check out mentally.
Secondly, if you take a minute to think about it, productivity paranoia essentially suggests a lack of trust. If employees sense this lack of trust, they may also stop trusting their leaders. This can result in a toxic environment of mistrust and insecurity, where you can wave goodbye to the ideas of team spirit, culture and talent retention.
Thirdly, if your team feels micromanaged or mistrusted, it’s likely that your top performers won’t stick around for too long. With plenty of opportunities waiting for them outside, they’re bound to leave you and work where they feel valued and trusted. When this happens, it’s not just about the cost of replacing them, it’s also about losing the value they brought to the organisation.
Fourthly, a work culture riddled with productivity paranoia will restrict innovation and creativity. As a result, you risk losing your competitive edge, being lost in the crowd and falling behind the competition.
These are some of the many negative effects of productivity paranoia. And since it can disrupt team culture and performance, it’s important to nip it in the bud before it turns into a full-blown crisis.
If you are wondering where to start, the first step is to understand what’s driving productivity paranoia in your workplace. Some factors include remote working, micromanagement and rigid leadership styles.
For instance, in a remote work setting, managers can become sceptical about whether team members are truly productive. Furthermore, with employees no longer under direct supervision, those with rigid leadership approaches may find it hard to implement a more trust based management style.
That’s where tracking systems can replace the watchful eyes of managers. However, though they may seem effective, these tracking systems (which are borderline dystopian) can make employees feel more stressed and anxious.
In addition to that, setting unrealistic expectations and poor communication can also exacerbate productivity paranoia.
Here are a few ways to combat productivity paranoia.
GOALS Set clear, time bound and achievable goals, which ensure that everyone is aligned towards the same objectives.
CONTACT Stay in contact with your team to reduce the need for guesswork, strive for transparency and establish open communication channels. This will provide managers with a clear understanding of the priorities, challenges and progress of their teams, while creating a culture of trust and collaboration.
PROCESSES Assess your organisation’s processes to see if they are efficient or unnecessarily add to the team’s workload and time. If they do, it’s time to simplify and streamline them to ensure that everyone’s time is used more efficiently.
OUTCOMES Focus on outcomes over activity. Review employee productivity based on output instead of the worked, active online time or keystrokes. Hybrid and remote work styles are here to stay. Forcing employees back into the office is not a good way to combat productivity paranoia. People want to succeed and feel like they belong.
So instead of stressing over what your team is doing, focus on establishing the right processes, building trust and fostering a positive work culture, while nurturing confidence and independence in your team.
This will establish a foundation where employees feel empowered and supported; and it will be easier to maintain productivity without being paranoid about it.
Focus on establishing the right processes
