Though productivity (defined as the output of goods and services per hours worked) grew by about 74 percent between 1973 and 2013, compensation for workers grew at a much slower rate of only 9 percent during the same time period, according to data from the Economic Policy Institute.
.. Without a strong middle class we see weak consumption. With unhappy workers we have a less productive set of people for business to hire. If we’re only tapping the creativity and potential of a small fraction of our population that can’t be good for society. If working, middle-class Americans are not thriving, eventually they become anti-business voters.
.. I think that business leaders just need to recognize that companies can’t thrive for long if their communities are struggling.
.. The current path is one where federal policy makers squabble for partisan gains, delay tough choices, and make America a less attractive place to compete. Business leaders pursue their narrow short-term interest and free ride off each other’s investments—the business environment deteriorates, businesses leave America, the government enacts anti-business policies, companies reduce their U.S. activities further, and distrust deepens.
Productivity: Create Margins: Empty Time
Jess believes that truly maximizing his timebox means not booking every second of his day with a task he wants to accomplish. He calls the time in between appointments “margins,” signalling an open period to transition to the next activity. Calendar apps allow a person to book one engagement right up against another, and before long there is barely a moment to breathe. A schedule without margins is a surefire recipe for burnout.