Productivity.

What is this word “productivity”?

It used to mean that when a company wanted to increase productivity they wanted to manufacture more stuff in less time and less cost than they did it before. Now it means even your doctor has only 5 or 10 minutes to get all the information he/she can from you before making an assessment. And forget about telling him about more than 1 ailment. You’ll have to make another appointment for that.

What about the bus driver who has to keep to a strict schedule? No doubt as the productivity buzz permeates the atmosphere in management circles their schedules are getting tighter. I’ve been honked at by several impatient bus drivers lately, no doubt because they are late.  Truck drivers are also driving their rigs like sports cars!

Many people are finding themselves doing the jobs of three people after the last round of layoffs. If increasing productivity creates more mistakes then I don’t see the cost saving in it. The pressure to do more with less wears people down and costs more in sick time and medical costs.

I have nothing against boosting productivity as long as it does not create an unsafe situation where people can get hurt.

Drivers who speed because they are trying to get to their next appointment, the next bus stop, or the next load pickup will surely cause accidents.

What price we pay for productivity?