Working Up

by Dwayne Phillips

A recent major survey shows that managers and the managed disagree on what work is and isn’t.

Microsoft recently surveyed 20,000 persons across 11 countries about work. The result:

• 87% of the managed felt they worked as, or more, efficiently from home
• 80% of managers felt that at-home workers weren’t working

Here is my explanation: the two groups were talking about two different things.

The managed were talking about work that is necessary to keep the organization operating, meeting its mission, serving the customers, satisfying the stockholders, etc.

The managers were talking about the above PLUS the work they assigned here and there, now and then.

The managed were doing the necessary work in less time in that they accomplished it in two or three hours a day. That is opposed to an 8 1/2-hour day in the office plus 1 1/2 hours of commuting. Two hours to accomplish the work of a ten-hour day is a leap in productivity. The managed are doing great.

The managers, however, were not seeing the extra work they assigned here and there, now and then. That work was not being worked. This at-home stuff was bad.

In my 40 years working in the office, I have seen much of the extra work assigned here and there, now and then. Since everyone is here (thinks the manager) and doesn’t have any necessary work to do, I’d like to see them do such and such. They need something to do. Here is something.

That extra work assigned here and there, now and then was a waste of time. The managed knew it was, but did it anyways because they weren’t allowed to go home, so they had to do it. Now, they don’t have to do it.

There are too many of the managed. Organizations can get by with half the employees they used to have. Would that increase unemployment to unmanageable levels? I doubt it. There is supposed to be a labor shortage, but I don’t see that. I see some organizations with too much extra labor on hand and other organizations who cannot hire the extra labor. There are probably some labor categories in some locations that have shortages. I think those are in the great minority.

What is work? I guess that depends on your perspective.