?? The 8-Hour Cat-and-Mouse Game
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OPINION
A cat-and-mouse game
We live in the age of the so-called modern workplace, but corporations don’t know how to measure what goes on in these workplaces.?
Employees of the knowledge economy are paid for their intellectual contribution instead of the number of widgets produced. Unfortunately, this new paradigm of productivity is really hard to objectively measure. As a result, some firms resort to monitoring software that attempts to track productivity via ambiguous metrics, such as mouse movement.
Financial services firm Wells Fargo recently fired several employees for using ‘mouse jigglers’ that simulate computer activity to create the impression of active work. A dozen people were in on the jig (pun intended), including six employees who were fired and a worker who voluntarily resigned.
The modern workspace was expected to boost employee morale and reduce corporate expenses. However, it might have become an ugly eight-hour cat-and-mouse game with both sides losing.
Measuring productivity
On average, studies suggest that most employees allot at least four out of the eight office hours to hyperfocused work. The rest are devoted to lighter tasks and various administrative assignments. And, as much as these corporations don’t want to admit, a few hours are devoted to idle time and goofing off.
In the old workplace, employees rushed to their stations before their shifts started. Now that employees can work from home, idle time is devoted to household chores and helping the kids.?
Today, instead of draconian factory attendance punch cards, workers start when they feel like it, easing into it over breakfast and coffee - and who knows what they're really doing on the Zoom calls. The landscape has changed.? And productivity is now not so easy to assess.
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OFFSHORE & GLOBAL NEWS
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?? Great Resignation 2.0: Is Your Company Ready? ?? ??
A recent PwC survey reveals a brewing storm in the job market. With 28% of workers planning to switch jobs within the next year—up from 19% in 2022—the signs of a second wave of the Great Resignation are clear.?
Increased workloads, rapid workplace changes, and the push for skills growth and AI adoption are driving the possible exodus.?
With 82% of daily AI users anticipating efficiency boosts and fatter paychecks, the message is clear: adapt or lose talent. Regional discontent, especially in Europe and the United States, underscores the urgent need for employers to focus on upskilling, transparent communication, and robust employee engagement to retain their talent.
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