Employee Productivity Is on the Rise as Workers Put in Longer Hours

Employee productivity is on the rise but so is the risk of burnout and low morale. A new survey by Robert Half found that 68% of managers reported an increase in employee productivity compared to the numbers seen a year ago. Additionally, 36% of workers stated that they were putting in more hours at work, and there was a distinct difference across generations as well.

The concern here is that once workers start working more, they put themselves at a higher risk of burning out. Rising team productivity is always good for the company, but if it cannot be sustained in the long run, it means the system and its productivity rates can collapse at any given time. 

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Employee Productivity Rises, Burnout Concerns Set off Alarm Bells

Most workplace productivity trends have painted a negative picture in recent months—some employees have been quiet quitting and quiet vacationing, while others have been hiding from employers through hushed hybrid work practices. These trends suggested that employees were reluctant to work and put in their hours, and this pushed employers to chalk up their return-to-office mandates more vehemently. Now, the latest study from Robert Half tells us that we don’t have the full picture.

Employees are afraid to take paid time off and go on vacation, this is a fact we have seen recent studies confirm for us. Those who need a break either go on holiday and continue to work while they are away, and others choose to avoid holidays and just stay at work. This means that they clock in more hours by working constantly, which is good for the employer in the short term, but hard to sustain over time.

Nearly 7 in 10 hiring managers believe their employee productivity is on the rise. They believe that the rise is linked to the improvement of management practices, enhanced staff training, and the inclusion of new technologies. All of these elements are prominent driving factors in productivity, which is why it’s unsurprising to see that changes in these areas would help employees be more productive. 

What Are the Factors Boosting Workplace Productivity?

More than one-third of workers themselves report that they are putting in more work hours and 36% of them stated that their improved efficiency can be linked to the introduction of technology such as generative AI. The emergence of AI has commonly been seen as threatening to the workforce, so the positive link between artificial intelligence and the rise of employee productivity shows that there is room for workers and AI tools to work in harmony. The more organizations look at AI as a way to support their workers rather than replace them, the better it will be for the organization. 

Workers also discussed some of the other factors that were boosting their workplace productivity, and their list included hybrid work options, windowed work options, and a compressed weekly work schedule. Flexibility in the work setup is one of the biggest trends to emerge from the pandemic period, and workers are adamant that it is a critical element in improving their work experience. Organizations that offer flexible work setups have a competitive advantage over others in the industry and like the example set by the workers at Dell, many are willing to forego other benefits in exchange for work-from-home opportunities.

Another interesting element revealed by the Robert Half study is that GenZ workers were clocking in the most hours by a large margin. According to the numbers, 55% percent of GenZ workers, 37% of millennials, 30% of Gen X, and 20% of baby boomers were working extra hours. The younger generation has often been tagged as unwilling to work, but these numbers suggest otherwise. The job market has not been kind to young workers considering they are likely to be the first to get laid off, which makes their effort to keep their jobs all the more noteworthy.

The Cost of the Increase in Productivity

Employee productivity rising higher is a good sign for employers but it is a statistic that needs to be treated with caution. Workplace productivity concerns expressed in the study highlight the fact that employees working extra hours might be good for the business initially, but it could also lead to burnout. Overworked employees can only sustain their productivity for so long if they are not supported by systems that help them work better. 

If the rising team productivity is linked to a few workers working extra hours, the moment those workers falter or leave the organization, workplace productivity will take a big hit. Employees who are working beyond what is required of them might be a blessing to their organization, but the employer has to take care of their well-being in return. By working longer, employees might lead themselves to the point of exhaustion, following which the quality of their work will begin to suffer.

Employers need to take a closer look at boosting workplace productivity through systematic changes and improvements at every level of the organization rather than rely on the employee productivity rise we are witnessing right now. By providing employees with the resources they need, from flexible work schedules to improved technology, employers can ensure that the workplace productivity trends within their organization are all sustainable in the long run.

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