Happy, healthy, productive employees. How do we measure that?
Way back in 1911 Frederick W Taylor a mechanical engineer came up with the idea that productivity was linked to two variables. Humans and machines.
By optimising humans and machines you could increase output without increasing inputs. Make more money without adding costs.
Instead of employing the workhouse mentality where people did physical labour every single day for long hours (maybe a day off on Sunday), it was settled that working physically for about 8 hours (9-5) was the optimum for a human. Workers could then enjoy relaxation and recuperation time with a drink plus with their families. Fresh the next day to rinse and repeat the process.
By systematically fixing ill-directed and inefficient humans this gave rise to both a more prosperous employer and employee.
The world changed over 30 years ago
Here in the UK in the early 1980s we moved more into the knowledge and service economy, and the manufacturing economy declined . People were employed more for their mental skills, knowledge and expertise. They were named "Knowledge Workers"
Knowledge Workers are now the means of production. The company levers your knowledge and expertise.
Now here lies the problem. Taylor's original definition and measure of productivity was based on a person’s physical labour and number of hours worked. Now that that labour is cognitive effort we didn't ask what we should be measuring to maximise a persons productivity.
If the business just focuses on measuring output alone, the workers could be overstretched, demotivated, burnt out, unhappy. Leaving the potential of some very smart, knowledgeable, experienced people to be frustrated or fried. They either leave to sunnier pastures or develop mental or physical issues that affect the quality of their work and lives.
Measuring creativity?
The output of the knowledge worker could be seen as the accumulation of all the creative decisions they make and execute over a period of time. How on earth do you measure creative decisions? I don't think you can. It's not as simple as measuring time. A great valuable creative decision can happen in a momentary spark of genius, or it may come from lengthy exploration.
But if it’s about an accumulation of these valuable decisions that are the output, then employers need to give the employee as much autonomy as possible. To be free to optimise their own routines, workflows, timetables, attention, and energy. Creating their own goals, that align with the team or company goals. Shaping their own days, to ensure success.
Employees should then be able to spend more time on their craft, i.e. their actual job role. Producing more higher quality work. Doing what they signed up for, the thing they enjoy. This makes for a happy productive employee, and a happy productive employee makes for a better company. Maybe measuring happiness is the answer.
Minimise low value work
If employees feel Big Brother is always watching them and think that they are being measured on visibility, they'll get sucked into "busy work". Potential low value activities like ongoing email threads, Microsoft Teams chats, video calls, and status meetings. What if we measured the time we spend in low value activities? Rewarding those who spend the least amount of time, in what Cal Newport calls Shallow Work.
It's the low value activities that need to be reduced. Making space for what really matters. A happy, healthy, creative, productive team of individual humans.