Employers across the country are worried that workers are getting less done \u2014 and there\u2019s evidence they\u2019re right to be spooked.<\/p>\n
In the first half of 2022, productivity \u2014 the measure of how much output in goods and services an employee can produce in an hour \u2014 plunged by the sharpest rate on record going back to 1947, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.<\/p>\n
The productivity plunge is perplexing, because productivity took off to levels not seen in decades when the coronavirus forced an overnight switch to remote work, leading some economists to suggest that the pandemic might spark longer-term growth. It also raises new questions about the shift to hybrid schedules and remote work, as employees have made the case that flexibility helped them work more efficiently. And it comes at a time when \u201cquiet quitting\u201d \u2014 doing only what\u2019s expected and no more \u2014 is resonating, especially with younger workers.<\/p>\n
Productivity is strong in manufacturing, but it\u2019s down elsewhere in the private sector, according to Diego Comin, professor of economics at Dartmouth College. He noted that productivity is particularly tricky to gauge for knowledge workers, whose contributions aren\u2019t as easy to measure.<\/p>\n
Read it all<\/a>.<\/p>\n Workers are \u201cshowing up late .. but companies can\u2019t do anything about it because .. it is so hard to replace\u201d them. \u201cBack in 2019, the policy was one strike and you\u2019re out .. Right now it\u2019s 10 strikes, maybe you\u2019ll be out.\u201d@washingtonpost<\/a> @taylormtelford<\/a>https:\/\/t.co\/V438XJDg5C<\/a><\/p>\n — Carl Quintanilla (@carlquintanilla) November 1, 2022<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n \n