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In the video, Jason analyzes the general problem of low productivity in the workplace due to poor use of time. He analyzes the reasons behind them and suggests some measures that will raise productivity. (Fried, 2010)
His main point is that there are major factors that exist inside the office that prevent people from using their time more productively. These factors do not exist at home, while on travel or in times outside of work and that is why most people say they prefer these situations when they like to work better. What these factors really do is to use up your time where people cannot think enough to produce results. Quality work needs long blocks of time so people can think more, explore more options and be more creative. In the office, there are many people who can interrupt you for the things they need and these chop up your time. When these happen, creative thinking resets like a computer rebooting. It is also much like sleep where if you get interrupted in the middle of the night, the quality feels poor upon waking up in the morning. It is the involuntary distractions that affect work negatively. Distractions like web surfing or chatting are voluntary as they can be controlled. They are just the modern equivalent of short breaks. Jason points at managers and meetings as the two major factors. Managers interrupt too often and at the wrong times when a person are deep and in the middle of important work and it even gets worse when you are reporting to more than one manager. Meetings are often long, too frequent, unscheduled and involve too many people. Social interaction often gets mixed in and poor control does not produce results where they force people into long blocks of time which are unproductive. His suggestions of a No-Talk-Thursday, passive communications and meeting cancellations may sound sarcastic, but they point to the need for making the best use of time at work.
Jason’s observations are generally true because many offices have poor management, which creates these situations, but he fails to point out that good management also creates an office environment where people can look forward to work in. Good managers respect people’s time and would make it a policy. They would be sensitive enough to know when is the best time to check on people. Good managers also believe in efficient and effective meetings and when they are, meetings become the best use of everybody’s time. As for bad reasons that Jason has posed, he failed to go deeper and find quality of management as the root cause. The video sends messages to both managers and staff that managers should also manage working time wisely for everybody and employees must also be assertive to ask for it.
Reference
Fried, J. (2010 October). Why work doesn't happen at work. [Video file]. Retrieved July 9, 2016 from http://www.ted.com/talks/jason_fried_why_work_doesn_t_happen_at_work
