Working Longer Doesn't Increase Productivity

A study performed by Work Life Balance International asked people about long hours vs. personal effectiveness and productivity. They found that working longer did not make workers more productive. Many said they were not working smarter nor more productive. The study compared best practice companies against non-best practice companies. Forty percent of the non-best practice companies said they spent more time at work because their presence was rewarded, instead of their performance and results. They get rewarded for just being there, so they are just there, and not productive. With the best practice companies, only twelve percent felt they were being rewarded for just being there.

How are you rewarding your people, and what are you basing it on? Are you measuring their productivity? If you reward them for just being there, they will be present, but not engaged and productive. Find a way to measure their productivity, and what they accomplish, and reward them for it. What gets rewarded gets repeated, whether it be positive or negative behavior.