Working more doesn't make you more productive

HISTORICALLY, THE WORKER WHO LOGGED THE MOST hours at work was an organization's most valuable employee. But that isn't necessarily the case anymore: as AI promises to transform how we work, and the four-day-workweek movement gains steam, it is time to admit once and for all that working more does not make you more productive.

- BY JOE O'CONNOR AND JARED LINDZON

The pressure to look busy at work can get in the way of actually getting work done

For those who work on an assembly line, repeating the same task over and over, working more hours may have meant more work got done. But there are a lot of ways to fill an hour at work these days, and not all of them contribute equally to the bottom line. In fact, many workers could dutifully keep themselves busy for an entire day without doing anything of real value, instead answering pointless emails and attending unnecessary meetings.

Meanwhile, many are struggling under the unsustainable repercussions of applying an industrial-era measure of productivity—namely, dividing output by hours—to our modern knowledge economy. As a result of our emphasis on hours over outcomes, workers are under constant pressure to forgo their rightfully earned time off to prove their dedication and commitment.

Those who finish their tasks more quickly are typically rewarded with more work to fill the hours they've saved, in what is sometimes referred to as “performance punishment” or “quiet promotion.” A colleague who works through evenings, weekends, or lunch breaks to complete the same workload, meanwhile, is often more likely to be praised or even promoted for their perceived dedication.

This dynamic ultimately creates more pressure to look busy than to deliver value. According to Atlassian’s 2024 State of Teams report, 65% of knowledge workers believe it is more important to quickly respond to messages than to make progress on key priorities. Asana’s Anatomy of Work Index, meanwhile, found that knowledge workers spend on average 103 hours in unnecessary meetings, 209 hours on duplicative work, and 352 hours talking about work each year. As a result, 88% complain they're falling behind on time-sensitive projects and major initiatives.