The Pandemic Productivity Gap

A recent article published in the Harvard Business Review by Bain & Co suggests that the pandemic has widened the productivity gap between top performing companies and others stating, "Some have remained remarkably productive during the Covid-era, capitalizing on the latest technology to collaborate effectively and efficiently. Most, however, are less productive now than they were 12 months ago. The key difference between the best and the rest is how successful they were at managing the scarce time, talent, and energy of their workforces before Covid-19."

Atlassian data scientists also crunched the numbers on the intensity and length of work days of software users during the pandemic. The results found that workdays were longer with a general inability to separate work and home life, and workers were working longer hours (predominantly because during lockdowns, there is no set start and end of the workday routine). Interestingly, the average length of a day for Australian workers is shorter than our international peers by up to an hour pre pandemic. Australia's average working day is around 6.8 active hours whereas the US is close to 7.2.

However, working longer does not mean working more productively. Atlassian's research shows that while the length of the working day increased and the intensity of work increased earlier and later in the day, intensity during "normal" hours generally decreased.

So, how do we measure productivity? Bain & Co suggests:

The productivity gap was always there. The pandemic merely brought the gap into stark contrast.