EXPERT COLUMN
The productivity illusion: Why hours don’ t equal output by Ben Leitch – CXO Cyber Connections and Digital Content Manager
For decades, managers measured productivity in the wrong way. Hours at a desk, visible busyness and the ritual of being physically present in an office were treated as proxies for performance. The pandemic forced a sudden shift. Work moved online, calendars filled with Zoom calls and the old metrics broke down. Yet too many organisations have simply tried to recreate the old model in a new medium: tracking login times, meeting attendance and monitoring that little green tick on Teams as if screens were desks.
YET MANY LEADERS ARE STILL TRAPPED IN THE COMFORT OF VISIBILITY.
The optimal workplace treats productivity differently. It starts from the premise that outcomes are the real measure of value. A team that delivers on objectives ahead of schedule is performing better than one that clocks 40 hours staring at a monitor. Yet many leaders are still trapped in the comfort of visibility. In reality, this mindset drives micromanagement, stifles creativity and erodes trust.
Additionally, equating presence with effort disproportionately rewards certain employees. Extroverts, early risers or those living near headquarters often thrive in traditional visibility metrics. Meanwhile, deep thinkers, night owls and remote employees can be unfairly penalised, even if their output is exceptional. In effect, the measurement system itself creates inequality, silently privileging some and marginalising others. daily check-ins and monitoring software. In this environment, trust is no longer optional; it is the currency of performance.
The payoff is significant. Organisations that measure productivity by outcomes rather than optics report higher engagement, faster innovation and lower attrition. Employees feel their work matters and that they are judged on what they achieve, not how visible they are while doing it. Leaders gain a clearer picture of organisational performance because they are looking at the right metrics, not proxies that tell a distorted story. Productivity becomes a lever for growth rather than a stick to enforce compliance.
For CXOs navigating the post-pandemic landscape, this is more than a managerial tweak. The smartest leaders will abandon the comforting illusion of hours and screens and embrace a culture that values results, trust and equity. The workplace is no longer a building to be occupied or a schedule to be enforced – it is a system to be optimised around real business outcomes. Those who cling to old habits will fall behind. Those who measure what truly matters will thrive. x
Shifting to outcome-based productivity requires a cultural transformation as much as a technical one. Leaders must define success in terms of deliverables, value creation and impact rather than calendar blocks. Teams must be empowered to plan, prioritise and problem-solve without constant oversight. Communication becomes about clarity of goals, alignment of expectations and constructive feedback, not
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