I found this study to be utterly fascinating.

Link



To be debated:

1. Are Americans working harder, but getting less done?

2. If so, is technology the main reason?

3. If so, what are the implications for the American economy and the health and happiness of the American worker?

1. Are Americans working harder, but getting less done?

2. If so, is technology the main reason?

3. If so, what are the implications for the American economy and the health and happiness of the American worker?

i would say that technology IS to blame--for distracting the American worker. web access is given to many employess--who don't need it. So their day is spent with distraction in no way related to the job. surfing, game playing, emails.
Less is actually spent doing actual work.
Last place I worked actually cut off their employees web access and placed 9 computers in the lunchroom where they could check email and the like during breaks--not only did the security concerns drop significantly--the 9 were a separate fully isolated network, but the amount of work done in a day dramatically increased.

I would also blame the unbelievable waste of time that are the majority of "meetings" held daily by business. At least an hour a day of blah blah blah.
Just send a memo with the pertinent updates to employess. Most meetings are a complete waste of time. Time is after all money.

That being said in many cases the efficiency of the American worker in some areas is almost staggering. I have helped implement RFID and various freight identifying technologies and have have been impressed by just how well they work. I have seen warehouses where you can find a part by its id number simply by entering the number into a handheld--which brings you right to the box or bin it sits in. Trailers of freight entering a dock area immediately update the computers as to what they are filled with and the paperwork is ready for verification before the trailer ever bumps the dock.

You can watch freight as it moves across country in real time and tell when who was where and how long it took to do it. Down to the block address.
The shift to computers in the med field has also made an impact on how things are being done. faster more efficient less errors.


I would also be curious to see the impact of part time positions on efficiency. I have read some interesting articles on their impact on wages in America and how they are a factor in the declining or stagnating pay American workers are receiving. Many well paying jobs are lost to the part time position. I would also imagine that the transition time between the now 3 shift workday might affect overall efficiency??

1. Are Americans working harder, but getting less done?

I don't really believe that to be true but I don't have a study to back that up or anything. However, I found this article interesting because I don't know anyone who "only spends 16 hours a week working with a computer." I can't really picture what kind of office type jobs they'd be talking about so I wonder if they are talking about more blue collar types of jobs.

Speaking from a personal perspective (for myself, my co-workers and those I manage) I'd say that everyone is more productive as a result of technology, not less. In fact I couldn't imagine doing some of the work I do without the benefit of technology allowing people who aren't physically close to collaborate and work effectively.

2. If so, is technology the main reason?

I don't think that it is (if that is even true, which I doubt). Technology has allowed people to work more efficiently, automate tasks and business processes, collaborate with people around the globe and manage their business.

But, technology is not some silver bullet that will cure all your ills and a lot of people think it is. Technology should be employed to solve specific problems and provide specific benefits. If you find yourself implementing something just because it is the newest buzz word then chances are you aren't going to be using it effectively and productivity could suffer as a result.


A fair point but I've often asked myself how people messed around at work before computers and the internet. I've been using computers since I was a child so I don't have any experience there. However, I have asked people who were in the working world long before I was and people found plenty of ways to slack off at work before computers were around. I personally don't think that humanity has started slacking off more as a result of computers, they just do it in a different way now.