Efficiency – but how?

I suppose no one could have foreseen, as we entered the new year, the extent to which 2020 would come to occupy such a unique place in history. Whilst setting aside the sheer number of traumas that have struck the lives it has touched like an apocalypse may wound our conscience, we must centre this study on the impact of the pandemic crisis—which has fundamentally shaken all of humanity and, indeed, all life in terms of its effects—on working life.

In recent times, as the remote working model suddenly entered our lives, personal productivity has become more important than ever before. Work life and private life have become intertwined; working hours have become more flexible; and the functions of different spaces have blurred. Many office workers suddenly found themselves spending their hours sitting at the dining table in their living room, on a sofa, or perched on the edge of a kitchen stool. Amidst the doorbell, the sound of a neighbour’s drill and the noise of other family members, they either tried to keep their concentration focused on a remote meeting – if they were lucky, without the internet connection dropping – or struggled to maintain the self-discipline required to meticulously complete their daily to-do list. It seems that the time saved on commuting did not translate into better, more enriching activities, but was instead sacrificed to work, social media or Netflix. Those kitchen escapades, which could be enjoyed without the need to wait for a lunch break, became another innocent yet effective form of sabotage.

When one considers others who continued to face the daily commute to and from work throughout the pandemic, the sense of gratitude one carries within, combined with the stress of maintaining productivity at home and the reduced social interaction resulting from not being able to physically go to work, created a complex web of emotions.

Yet it was the younger generation, in particular, who had always been the ones demanding flexible working models. They were fully convinced that a work structure independent of time and place would elevate performance and creativity to even greater heights. But Pandora’s box opened unexpectedly, and before anyone could feel fully ‘prepared’, they found themselves thrust into this force majeure situation and were ‘stuck at home’.

For companies, productivity is the endeavour to achieve the highest possible output in the production of goods and services using the minimum possible inputs (labour, raw materials, supplies, energy, etc.). In other words, if we were to put it into a formula, it could be expressed as output/input. Of course, defining productivity solely in quantitative terms would be incomplete. ‘EFFECTIVENESS’—meaning doing the right things—and ‘EFFICIENCY’—meaning doing things right—are also critical indicators for organisations. Building on these concepts, for a person, productivity can be defined as using their own resources at an optimal level to carry out, produce and develop good and correct work in a good and correct manner, in line with the purpose of their life.

Whilst many techniques are proposed to achieve productivity, its core is formed by happiness; a state of well-being and goodness. Although we have noted that the pandemic has, in the context of our topic, triggered the need for remote working models and the effective use of technology, these alone will not suffice to ensure sustainability in the long term. The system, the concept of productivity and the rules governing working life must be redefined in their entirety. We are entering an era in which people will redefine what constitutes ‘success’ and ‘the good’, and will expect their employers to create structures that are more meaningful, more fulfilling, more flexible and more integrated with society. A vision of the future in which companies that can truly see their employees as human beings, do not disregard the emotional and personal bonds at work, understand their personal expectations and needs, equip them with diverse skill sets, have internalised the concept of corporate citizenship from a social and societal perspective, and that can focus on what is natural, humane and sustainable—such companies will make a real difference in a future that is no longer a distant prospect. A new era is not far off, in which alternative economic models will begin to prevail – models characterised not by individualism and competition, but by unity and co-existence; not by consumption, but by the conscious use of resources and the realisation that this should only be done if it is meaningful; a self-sufficient production economy where experiences and services take precedence over goods.

This is precisely why we wish to emphasise that at the very heart of productivity lies ‘well-being’ and a state of ‘goodness’. In short, we want to redefine the very concept of success and productivity. Productivity is not merely a matter that can be resolved through the technical methods your mind can devise. You must also incorporate your emotions, intuition and instincts into the process. The effectiveness of all these suggestions varies from person to person and from situation to situation. What matters is that the individual chooses the methods that will be ‘good’ for them.

Emine Ebru Arslan