The Science of Productivity: Why Doesn’t the Government Listen?

For over a century, workplace science has provided a clear blueprint for building happy, productive, and efficient work environments. From Hugo Münsterberg's foundational studies in 1913 to today’s scientists, the evidence has been deafening. So why does it feel like policymakers, saliently the Chancellor of the Exchequer and her advisers, are stubbornly stuck in a parallel universe?

Rachel Reeves recently vowed to cut 5% waste in government spending, echoing the principles of the Lean Workplace philosophy. On the surface, this sounds sensible—who wouldn't want to eliminate waste and improve efficiency? But as science shows, the reality of 'lean' and its waste cutting goal is dismal.

The Toxicity of the 'No Waste' Workplace

Studies like those by Knight & Haslam (2010) and Baldry, Bain & Taylor (1998) reveal that waste reduction policies are entirely toxic. A fundamental problem lies in how “waste” is defined. Under lean systems, anything that doesn’t directly contribute to work—personal mementos, plants, art, photographs—is labeled as waste. Removing these ‘distractions’ strips away individuality, group identity and motivation, leading to demoralized employees and reduced productivity.

Yet here we are, with government advisers advocating for approaches that ignore decades of scientific evidence.

Enter Luke Johnson: Misguided Adviser

Luke Johnson, a hospitality entrepreneur and proposed government adviser, made his views on work abundantly clear on Radio 4, 10th December. He dismissed remote work, because you can’t monitor employees who are working from home, and he derided the four-day week as “nonsense.” His suggestions—mandating office attendance, micromanaging employees, and shedding workers deemed “not contributing enough”—run counter to the evidence on effective workplace strategies.

Research shows that mandating employees to follow unpopular policy and/or subjecting them to increased managerial control diminishes both productivity and well-being (Baldry & Hallier, 2010; Nieuwenhuis et al., 2014). The top-down 'command and control' style Johnson promotes is a psychological and social mess that will increase resentment more than almost any other variable. Yet this is the type of advice that is being used to shape government policy.

What Science Tells Us About Productivity

The real path to a productive and happy workplace isn’t a mystery—it’s backed by science:

1. Managers Aren’t Omniscient: Managers are not a super evolved species. All managers should recognize this, not just an enlightened few. Most management methods and biases hinder rather than help people to succeed (and again, remember that 70% of people leave their because of some issue with management).
2. Know your Place: To manage does not mean to dictate, or to order. The best managers Facilitate. Facilitation should be the main part of the job.
3. Recognize the Experts: The people doing the work are the real experts. They understand the challenges and opportunities of their roles better than any outside consultant or manager. And they know what type of working environment is best.

A Three-Step Fix

To genuinely improve workplace productivity and employee well-being, policymakers and business leaders need to follow an evidence-based roadmap:

1. Empower Employees: Do not consult the employees, no kanban thank you, which just nicks the ideas of workers and then vests even more power upstairs (yes, science worked that one out a century ago). Empower the people who are doing the job. Their insights, born from firsthand experience, are invaluable.
2. Act on Their Recommendations: Employees' ideas usually lead to improvements far greater than the stipulations imposed by inexpert managers.
3. Trust Your Workforce: When employees feel valued and trusted, productivity, creativity, and satisfaction soar.

The Takeaway

The Chancellor and her advisers are ignoring over a century of workplace science. Instead they are relying on outdated, ineffective business practices.

Most leading business people are winning a chariot race. They feel great, their peers are all impressed, but in reality they are miles behind even the 67 bus. Their advice is as up to date as their methods.

Business should turn to the wealth of scientific, evidence-based strategies available. Were this to happen, the results would be happier workers, greater efficiency, and a genuine return on investment for taxpayers.

The science is clear. It’s time policymakers stopped ignoring it. The results would be a 5% cut in nothing and a far larger improvement in almost everything positive.

Curious to learn more about the intersection of workplace science and policy? Let’s connect!

Photograph of Rachel Reeves and Kier Starmer by Simon Dawson / No 10 Downing Street - https://www.flickr.com/photos/number10gov/53837206291/, OGL 3, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=150065857

Photograph of Luke Johnson by Financial Times - Ynon Kreiz, Endemol; Luke Johnson, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=151488703