Productivity, not presenteeism the priority for new workplace

The report shows that individual workers prefer to be evaluated based on outcomes and achievements. “It’s about what you produce, not how you appear to be working,” Laney says.

An end to performative work

To this end, the report – a survey of over 18,000 desk workers and executives across Australia, Europe, the US and Asia - calls for an end to the “productivity theatre” advocating instead for a more sustainable, culture-focused definition of productivity.

“The findings from Slack’s State of Work report clearly demonstrate that when organisations measure productivity based on outcomes rather than presenteeism, employees not only become more efficient but also experience increased job satisfaction,” says Laney.

“Transparency and open communication are key.”

To be effective, productivity needs to be redefined and reimagined. It needs to become a healthy, sustainable, balanced goal for individuals and organisations alike, he says.

Organisations should start embracing automation, knowledge sharing and purposeful connection.

Slack’s State of Work Report 2023 revealed that in Australia:

• Nearly half - 45 per cent of managers say keeping their team motivated is their top productivity challenge.
• Nine out of 10 respondents say feeling happy and engaged at work is a key driver of their productivity.

The report also called out “busywork” and unproductive meetings.

“We know that the biggest challenges to productivity include spending too much time in meandering meetings, a deluge of email, and busywork that doesn’t directly contribute to the company’s bottom line,” the report says.

“According to our respondents, nearly 43 per cent of meetings could be eliminated with no real adverse consequences.

“This statistic is even more pronounced for managers and senior leaders, so they would actually disproportionately benefit themselves by cutting back on meetings. With that in mind, teams should champion impromptu huddles to quickly solve problems, along with asynchronous audio and video clips to relay information.”

So what is the best way forward for organisations?

Leslie Perlow, Konosuke Matsushita professor of leadership at Harvard Business School, says open communication and experimentation can empower teams to find the best strategies for their unique needs.

“Leaders and their reports will need to engage in dialogue and experiment to find out what approach will serve their individual organisations best—ultimately establishing clear objectives and goals while leaving the execution up to team-level agreements that allow smaller units to do their best work,” she says.

As organisations grapple with economic uncertainty, they often resort to pressuring teams for more output.

Laney says this can lead to overwork and burnout.

“Keeping teams motivated and productive remains the top priority for businesses facing economic uncertainty,” says Laney.

“The reality is that there is no discernible link between leaders squeezing more visible work out of employees, and the measurable performance of individuals. Simply put, performance is not the same as performative behaviours.”

Motivation the challenge

Over three-fifths of leaders surveyed say they feel immense pressure from their companies to squeeze more output from their teams.

“Often, this executive anxiety translates into an expectation of longer working hours and a reduction in flexibility, even – in some cases – digital surveillance, in an attempt to boost employee performance,” says Laney.

However, these practices only perpetuate burnout cycles and fail to effectively address the challenge of keeping teams motivated.

“A crucial first step for many businesses is eliminating outdated performance metrics and refocusing on metrics that can be used to steer towards outcomes or valuable learnings,” says Laney.

“In Australia, Slack found that feeling happy and engaged is the key driver of productivity among workers. They tend to excel when empowered to work autonomously based on firsthand knowledge of the situation and what would be best for the firm.”

The pandemic proved that traditional productivity metrics like hours worked, emails sent and meetings attended were ineffective ways to measure performance and often create counterproductive behaviours that actually reduce performance of the firm, says Laney.

“In reality, the situation is incredibly nuanced and requires leaders to assess what practices and working conditions suit the unique needs of their team’” says Laney.

“When implemented purposefully; flexible and asynchronous work should reduce the need for employees to be chronically online, responding to messages or sitting on calls. Ultimately, improving productivity, focus and, most importantly, employee wellbeing.

“What’s really evident is that when an employee feels they are contributing to the direct success of a business, they are happier and more engaged.”

To learn more about how organisations can redefine what it means to be productive in the new era of work, please click here to download Slack’s State of Work 2023 report.