The 7 Behaviors Of Highly Unproductive Knowledge Workers

Although AI technology is expected to revolutionize the productivity of knowledge workers it does little or nothing to address one of the biggest productivity problems in today’s workplace: attention deficit disorder.  IT tools universally employed by knowledge workers create a daily lottery of demands on their time and attention. You don’t need to be reminded about the number of text messages, emails, video calls, application notifications, social media announcements, etc. that you receive on a daily basis. Many will tell you they either come to work early or stay late so they can sidestep these distractions and simply “get work done”.  The time savings produced by AI-enabled workflow automation will undoubtedly be valuable but AI technology cannot eliminate and may not even deter productivity losses produced by the following behaviors.

Incessant context switching.  Context switching occurs in multiple ways throughout the work day. Workers may use multiple applications that employ unique terminology and idiosyncratic workflows to complete a specific task. They may switch between work tasks over short periods of time in the erroneous belief that their brains can perform multiple tasks in parallel. Or they may rotate their attention between work-related tasks and personal interests or activities.  Many workers believe that context switching is an acquired skill that can be honed over time. Much like a professional athlete, they believe that the more you do it, the better you get at it. In fact the opposite is true. Incessant context switching results in a documented decline in cognitive performance in terms of attention, memory and problem solving capabilities. Clinical studies have demonstrated that an individual’s working memory and task switching ability steadily decline after the age of 30.

Pavlovian reactions to co-worker communications.  The Russian scientist Pavlov discovered that he could induce hunger behaviors in dogs by associating the presence of food with the sound of a metronome. Many knowledge workers have a similar conditioned response when they receive a new email or text message. They experience a compulsive need to respond in some fashion, either to simply acknowledge receipt of the message, reply to a specific query or request, offer a gratuitous observation or opinion, or communicate personal empathy or support.

An inability to say ‘no’.  One of the foundational principles of most work management systems is the minimization of ‘Work in Progress’. Individuals, work teams, functional departments and entire companies typically maximize their productivity by narrowly focusing on a limited set of tasks or objectives. Most knowledge workers would readily agree with this principle, in theory. However, in practice they violate it on a daily basis by routinely accepting innocuous requests that place future demands on their time and attention.

Prize engagement over execution.  Constant communication with co-workers can engender a deep sense of social acceptance and self-worth which in turn becomes a principal source of job satisfaction. Ironically, the ‘bossware’ surveillance tools that many companies use to monitor their employees’ online activities reinforce and reward this behavior. Individuals who fail to virtually engage with co-workers on a persistent basis are counseled to develop better teamwork habits and rewarded accordingly.

Screentime addiction.  Knowledge workers use their laptops, tablets and smartphones interchangeably, to the point that they become essential prosthetic devices. An inability to immediately locate one’s smartphone can trigger severe anxiety attacks clinically referred to as ‘nomophobia’ (no-mobile-phone phobia). Immediate screen access becomes a physical addiction.  Screentime addicts obtain very little job satisfaction from physical encounters with co-workers. They feel that they’re not doing real work unless they’re interacting with some type of computer screen. Addicts take great pride in receiving weekly reports indicating that their screentime use has actually increased week-over-week. Longer screen times are interpreted as a sign of higher levels of personal productivity.

An instinctive tendency to do what is easy versus doing what is hard.  This may be one of the most deep-seated and persistent human behaviors of all time. It manifests itself in the workplace but also at home and in almost every aspect of daily life. Despite the counsel of almost every time management guru to tackle the hardest tasks at the beginning of every day, many (most?) humans are instinctively drawn to the easiest tasks they need to perform. When the hard work deferred earlier in a day becomes unavoidable, it’s frequently tackled during the worst possible physiological moments.

Uncontrollable urges to join personal social media channels throughout the work day.  The compulsive desire to maintain contact with friends, family and total strangers who have absolutely nothing to do with accomplishing work-related tasks throughout the work day is not only a diversion of time but more importantly a diversion of attention that can persist long after a personal text message or phone call is returned.  Periodic contact with non-co-workers can be healthy and refreshing during the work day. In some instances it may be absolutely necessary. But persistent monitoring of personal social channels can become a chronic productivity killer.

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