Reworking the workaholics

A look at how contingent workers are challenging the inefficiencies of the modern office

Working long hours does not a productive worker make. When we see our colleagues spending all hours at their desk without ever really delivering on what’s expected, we know it’s true.

But when Jason Fried’s Rework debuted in 2010, that idea sparked a workplace revolution.

Fried’s intent was clear from the get-go; he wanted to rethink the way we work. The book provided businesses with a new model of efficiency in the digital era. It called for the end of buzzwords, press releases, meetings, workaholics and whatever else was deemed as the fat of the modern business, cutting it down to ‘the studs’ as Fried explained.  

While many established corporates brushed off the criticism of their business inefficiencies, Rework resonated with the emerging class of tech entrepreneurs. It provided a picture of the ideal working environment in the digital economy; one free of the inefficient practices of the pre-digital era. Now, everyone else is starting to catch up. 

As Fried’s ideas began to settle in, similarly disruptive changes were occurring throughout the global labour force. Flexibility, driven by the demands of the booming digital economy, rose against the rigidity of full-time labour. Two years after the launch of Rework, contracting in the United States hit its peak for the decade, marking an astonishing 400% rise from 2002.

The trend has only grown more pervasive in the six years since that benchmark was set. Terms like ‘contingent workforce’ and ‘gig economy’ are set firmly in our work language. But they’re more than new buzzwords. They are creating opportunities to extend Fried’s vision of no nonsense productivity and efficiency. Corporates who shrugged off the initial advice are now experiencing it firsthand and finding greater value by integrating contingent workers into their traditional workforce. 

The challenge today isn’t figuring out whether contingent workers drive greater productivity and efficiency but how to utilise top talent in a way that best benefits their business and culture, wherever that talent might be based.

The expansion of the contingent workforce is the natural fit for evolved labour demands of the digital economy. Take for example Fried’s loathing of the ‘workaholic’. Marking a clear distinction between working hard and workaholic-ing hard, as the book declares, “Workaholics aren't heroes. They don't save the day, they just use it up. The real hero is already home because she figured out a faster way to get things done.”

Quite simply, independent consultants and professional contingent workers help businesses discover better, faster ways to get things done. The progressive tech community may have realised it a bit sooner, but we are seeing work being ‘reworked’, from the top down as more corporates follow suit. When productivity is judged in outcomes, not hours and we recognise that quality is driven by flexibility, not traditional power structures, we can truly bring about a better way to work.