Management Perspectives

What do you call a process that balances all factors of production that will give the maximum output with the smallest effort? If you were living in the 1960s and ever bumped upon the writings of a gentleman named Peter Drucker, you would surmise nothing other than the notion of employee productivity being elicited here. But as the times changed, the definition of employee productivity evolved to suit the colour of its times. And if a movie buff in you ever chanced upon a flick that featured a struggling writer called Eddie Morra (played by Bradley Cooper) who unlocked the highest of human potential through a nootropic called NZT, you would ruminate on the idea of productivity very differently than the contemporaries of neoclassical management era. When the idea of employee productivity walks the lanes of the laity, it exudes a definition that simply means ‘the amount of work that an employee can do in a given amount of time’.

But the inherent simplicity of the definition hides the intricacies that the denotation holds. The productivity of an employee depends on a multitude of factors, and one among the plethora of variables that make an employee productive is the motivation level of the employee. The science of motivation validates that the monoamine neurotransmitter called dopamine is essentially responsible for keeping our motivation level up to get work done or achieve a goal. As we go a little deeper to understand the importance of hormonal balance in the stability of the body and the mind, we realise that there is another monoamine neurotransmitter that is accountable for stabilising our mood and controlling anxiety called serotonin. Similarly, we have a few other neurotransmitters like norepinephrine, glutamate, gaba, endorphin, etc., whose optimal balance in our body is paramount for the healthy functioning of our mind which eventually leads to increased productivity.

We live in an age where employees experience stress and depression at work more than ever. According to Gallup’s 2021 survey, 57 per cent of American and Canadian employees said that they experience stress daily, an increase of eight percentage points from the year before and higher than the global average of 43 per cent (2020).

There seems to be a rise in the usage of anti-depressants in most developed economies. In 2018, as per the NHS data 70.9 million prescriptions for antidepressants were given in the UK, up from 36 million in 2008; similarly, the United States witnessed a spike in the use of antidepressants in recent times. We also have another category of people who use nootropics or ‘smart drugs’ to enhance their cognitive performance and productivity, just like Eddie Morra, from the movie Limitless, transformed his life with a miracle drug. Likewise, people look for ways that could elevate their efficiency at work and help them feel better. The use of these smart drugs for non-medical reasons has exponentially risen among all age groups, and many take them to remain productive while turning a blind eye to their side effects.

Among the clatter of the utility of smart drugs, there is a method whose significance lies in the promise of turning a dejected soul into a productive being. The recent research in the field of—‘Sleep’, ‘Exercise (Workout)’, and exposure to ‘Sunlight’— provides enough shreds of evidence to ensure that practising the method optimally leads to a higher level of productivity, heightened motivation, and stability of mind. The three variables of Sleep-Exercise-Sun (SES) are important for remaining healthy and living a productive lifestyle.

According to a The Lancet research, based on a survey of more than 400,000 Taiwanese citizens, just 15 minutes of moderate activity per day or 90 minutes per week—such as brisk walking—can add three years to your life. Not only does a workout of 15 minutes come with tonnes of health benefits but it also improves our mental well-being, lowers the effect of stress, and helps in neural growth which leads to enhanced cognitive performance and higher productivity at the workplace. Exercise also causes the release of two important neurotransmitters called Endorphins and Dopamine which are responsible for making us feel good, energetic, and motivated.

The other important variable for higher productivity is quality sleep. Poor sleeping patterns not only affect the overall health of the individual but also plummets the efficacy of the work. A recent Gallup study inferred that an estimated 7 per cent of American employees report sleeping poorly on a regular basis, and they report more than double the rate of unscheduled absences compared to non-sleep-deprived employees. Healthy sleeping patterns improve psychological well-being and lower stress and depression, eventually, leading to improved concentration and efficiency at the workplace.

The last and the most ignored, also deemed inconsequential by many, is exposure to sunlight. In today’s age, when more and more people are opting to work from home, shop online, and have access to many other resource from the ‘shadowy’ comfort of their home, they seldom get exposed to natural light. Research corroborates that the brain releases more of the hormone called serotonin when exposed to sunlight. Serotonin has been linked to mood enhancement and, improvement in mental calmness and concentration. Exposure to an adequate amount of sunlight leads to the enhancement of cognitive functions, and it also alleviates depression and mental pain.

Thus, for being productive, it is necessary to improve our sleeping patterns, get adequate exercise, and soak up sunlight on a daily basis. The three necessary variables will not only help increase our effectiveness at work but also make our lives better. We at our research call it, the S-E-S cycle. No drug in the world can guarantee prolonged productivity without any adverse effects, but the S-E-S comes with no side effects as the variables involved are natural. Going back to the simple definition of getting things done in a given time frame, it is evident that when one’s mind is at peace, his/ her work will be of higher quality than one whose mind is stressed and distraught. Ergo, productivity will always be the result of a planned lifestyle.