Teams Trying To Look Productive? Ask Them To Do This Instead

According to workplace analytics company Visier Inc., around 43% of workers admit to spending more than 10 hours a week trying to “look productive” instead of focusing their time on valuable tasks. Performative activities range from responding immediately to non-urgent emails; attending non-essential meetings; and conducting unnecessary research for projects.

Since the shift to WFH in 2020, productivity theatre has become a growing issue. As a CEO and advocate for valuable work — got a book and TED talk on the subject — I‘ve helped clients like Novartis, Fidelity and Google shift away from performative spin cycles.