Productivity Paranoia in the Workplace
What is productivity paranoia, and why is it bad for business?
“Where leaders fear that lost productivity is due to employees not working, even though hours worked, the number of meetings, and other activity metrics have increased.” – Microsoft study.
Productivity Paranoia is a leadership problem manifested in managers who cannot adapt to new ways of working, believing that employees are not productive when working outside of the office environment, contrary to the evidence. This type of behaviour can negatively affect senior leaders and their employees, leading to detrimental mental health deficits.
Recognising and overcoming these negative beliefs by becoming actively aware of them is essential. Managing remote teams can make it difficult to accurately track the productivity of groups, which can cause managers stress and anxiety because they are not doing enough to motivate their team.
Important decisions and significant changes need solid foundations and planning. Unfortunately, when the pandemic hit, workforces were forced to find a way to continue daily life as close to normal as possible and find new ways of working with some significant changes, like managing remote working teams.
This u-turn in working culture with little planning and minimal structure resulted in a disruptive transition and increased workplace phenomena such as quiet quitting, quiet firing and the great resignation; the most recent of these trends is productivity paranoia.
What are the signs of productivity paranoia?
Focusing too much on productivity metrics
If your business and management team are hyper-focused on productivity metrics, like the number of tasks completed or hours worked, team members can become anxious or stressed if they don’t meet the expectations set, leading to productivity paranoia.
Fear of missing out
Productivity paranoia can present in employees within the fear of missing out on work opportunities or falling behind their peers; they may feel pressured to work longer hours and take on more tasks, even if it negatively impacts their mental health and eventually leads to burnout which decreases productivity in the long run.
Guilt about taking breaks
Taking breaks is essential for upholding productivity and preventing burnout, but if your employees feel guilty or anxious about taking breaks, this will lead to a poor working environment.
Self-criticism
If your team members regularly criticise themselves for not being productive enough, even when working hard, this could be a sign of productivity paranoia.
Productivity paranoia is actually unproductive
Managers may feel the need to micromanage projects and team members whilst their time could be spent more effectively elsewhere. As well as the detrimental effect on senior leaders this behaviour leads to a lack of trust within the workplace, leaving employees feeling undervalued and like they have lost their sense of autonomy, which is vital for a thriving environment.
Build a culture of trust to combat productivity paranoia; when managers trust their teams, this creates a work environment based on positivity, innovation and collaboration. Rather than focusing on toxic productivity, try these tips to foster trust in your company.
Set clear expectations
From the beginning, establish goals and realistic timeline expectations. Ensuring everyone has clear outlines and understands what is expected will avoid confusion and ensure everyone is working towards the same objective.
Encourage open communication
Schedule regular catch-ups and one-to-one meetings to ensure strong communication within your teams and that members are accountable for their work. Regular contact helps build consistency and a sense of reliability that promotes trust.
Show empathy
Soft skills like empathy are vital for senior leaders; empathy will help to strengthen relationships based on mutual understanding and respect. This helps combat productivity paranoia as understanding other perspectives is easier to achieve.
Show recognition
Highlighting the successes and achievements of your employees is a guaranteed way to bolster the relationship of trust between leaders and their workforce. Instead of focusing on development areas only which feed the paranoia monster, shine a light on both team and individual accomplishments and build loyalty and motivation rather than surveillance and micromanagement.
Be transparent
Being open about your company goals and policies is paramount in fostering a relationship of trust with your staff. Keep employees up to date with any changes you plan to make and champion the progress you see. You should always seek and accept employee feedback to ensure future organisational transparency. Ensure your employees are not held accountable for expectations they are unaware of.
Focus on output
Whilst focusing on productivity is a good metric, leaning toward the importance of output encourages your employees to produce high-quality work that meets the needs of your organisation rather than a narrow focus on efficiency or simply appearing to be busy. Focusing on output leads to greater employee engagement and increased innovation, creativity and, ultimately, a healthier way to ensure productivity.
In conclusion, productivity paranoia can harm the mental health and productivity of your team. By setting realistic goals for them, implementing regular breaks, and ensuring you offer regular support, you can achieve a healthier and more sustainable approach to productivity within your workforce.