1

WORD COUNT: 1560

Do More With Less

Donald Knuth, an American computer scientist, once said, "It is much more rewarding to

do more with less." This belief is most applicable in current times, where technology is

widespread throughout the American workforce and enables more work to be completed without

putting in as much effort. Some may say this hinders work ethic, but as President Nixon stated in

his Address to the Nation on Labor Day, “When you have the latest technology to help you do

your job, it means you can do more with the same effort.” Work ethic directly correlates with

productivity; putting hard work in means getting more out, but technology is a useful aid when it

comes to productivity. Since the beginning of human civilizations, technologies, such as the

wheelbarrow and plow, have made agricultural tasks easier and more productive. Fast forward to

the technology-driven work environment that surrounds employees today and these increases in

productivity are seen everywhere. In general, productivity is the economic efficiency of the

workforce; in business terms, it is the value-added output through the cost-effective use of

resources (Asunda). New technologies make laborious tasks easier and allow workers to be more

productive while on the job. Some jobs are reliant on technology in order for workers to be

productive. In modern days, technological advancements have made it possible for companies to

accomplish more with less effort, as explained in "A World Without Work" by Derek Thompson.

Technology has increased productivity within the modern day workforce through an escalation

of economic output, faster production, and ease of certain jobs.

Technology allows medical personnel, as well as workers with medical disabilities, to

perform their job with efficiency and ease. The International Business Machine Company's

Watson is a famous supercomputer who competed on Jeopardy and won against two human
 2

competitors. He has been helping doctors with the diagnosis of medical diseases and even

helping doctors perform surgery. Without this supercomputer, many diseases may have gone

unnoticed by doctors who cannot be as knowledgeable as a supercomputer who reads thousands

of scientific journals each day. Jonathan Cohn, a writer for The Atlantic, Huffington Post, New

York Times Magazine, and Self, wrote that Watson is capable of processing up to 60 million

pages of text per second (Cohn). This is the reason why he is so valuable to doctors; he can

process information and make treatment recommendations much quicker. Doctors would not be

able to help their patients as effectively as they can with the help of Watson. In addition,

assistive technology and adaptive devices enable workers with various motor and sensory

impairments to do their job effectively. In a study conducted by Sajay Arthanat, a clinical expert

of assistive technology, this technology is a significant component for workers with disabilities.

Peter, a music teacher with muscular dystrophy, uses Smart Boards and electronic pens which

play a vital role in his ability to teach (Arthanat, et. al). His main tasks as a teacher and

administrator are to participate in student advisory committees and to be in charge of a musical

instrument recycling club. For Peter, the Smart Board is specifically necessary to his job and

makes him more efficient with his time. Technology aids employees and can be a valuable tool

in the work environment.

Numerous current day companies have begun to increase the use of technologies in their

business and the increase in efficiency is indisputable. Kristin Houser and June Javelosa, writers

for the Futurism sector of World Economic Forum, wrote an article about a Chinese factory in

Dongguan City that replaced 90% of their human workers with machines. Their productivity

rates increased by 250% and the number of defects dropped by 80% (Houser and Javelosa). In

particular, factory and manufacturing businesses benefit considerably from technologies within
 3

their enterprise. Machines are much more productive because of the fact that they do not need

breaks and they rarely make errors and mistakes, like humans do. In “A World Without Work,”

by Derek Thompson, he states that in 1964, AT&T was the nation's most valuable company and

employed 758,611 people. They were worth $267 billion in today's dollars. Nowadays, the

prominent technology company, Google, is worth $370 billion but has less than a tenth the size

of AT&T's workforce (Thompson). Google, arguably the biggest telecommunications company,

is founded upon technology to carry out internet-related services. How can Google’s economic

worth be greater than AT&T, yet employs so few workers in comparison? The answer lies in the

technological advancements that have made it possible for Google and other technology

companies to accomplish more with less effort.

Productivity does not only arise from economic output, but from competition as well.

America's capitalistic economy runs on competition between businesses. A study conducted by

Erik Brynjolfsson and Lorin Hitt, Director of the MIT Initiative on the Digital Economy and

professor at the University of Philadelphia, respectively, found that computer investments lead to

increased forms of productivity. Investments in new automation systems transmit productivity to

employees via competition between two firms (Brynjolfsson and Hitt). This means that when big

companies, like Walmart, invest in new, computerized management technologies, their

competitors are more inclined to invest in similar technologies to keep up with the progressing

and evolving market.

In the constantly changing technological workplace, it can be hard for new employees to

be up to date on new advances in technology. However, technology can also be used to help

jumpstart new workers into a productive state. Jive is an example of this technology. It is a

software that simulates social networking sites by allowing co-workers to shares notes or post
 4

useful information. Cora Rodenbusch, a manager at a conferencing company that uses Jive, says,

“The software has cut down on the time it takes to get new employees up to speed,” (Noguchi).

This shows that technology can not only increase productivity, but it can jumpstart new

employees to be more productive from the start. According to a periodical written by Paul

Asunda, who has a Ph.D. in Workforce Education and Development, social networking sites

enable workers to communicate with each other and find like-minded individuals (Asunda). It

has become more common for employees to use social media sites to network with other

employees. These sites, such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, can aid in individuals' career

plans by organizing their workload and life. If used effectively and responsibly, social

networking and media sites can transform the productivity of the 21st-century workers.

On the other hand, employers may be concerned with the use of social media and using

technology for reasons other than work because it can be a source of distraction. According to

Sampat and Basu, assistant professors at the Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies,

cyberloafing is using the internet for non-work related activities which results in time and

financial loss for the business (Sampat and Basu). In addition, a term used by computer experts is

"thrashing," which means there is no available capacity for applying information because the

computer switches between numerous activities, which takes up all the processor’s time

(Bannister and Remenyi). Humans, when attempting to switch between multiple tasks, can

experience a similar happening in the brain.

In the 21st-century work environment, technologies --smartphones, computers, machines-

- have embedded their uses and are prominent in almost every line of work. While on the job,

employers cannot expect their workers to be deeply attuned to their task the entire work day;

after all, humans are not machines. Although cyberloafing does waste time, it also makes
 5

workers more satisfied with their jobs (Sampat and Basu). President Nixon states, in his Address

to the Nation on Labor Day, that job satisfaction is key for not only employee productivity, but

for the quality of work as well. Additionally, employers are able to monitor their employees' use

of Internet through emails, social networking, and instant messaging (Social Networking and

Computer Privacy). Firewalls can be put on certain websites and online activities when

connected to the business’ WiFi, similar to how Snapchat is blocked on some schools’ wireless

internet connection. This deters copious amounts of time that may be wasted on non-work

related Internet usage.

Humans are constantly multi-tasking in the workplace since attention is needed and

divided between different aspects of the job and everyday life. Some jobs require workers to

multitask. Many jobs in the service sector, such as teachers, nurses, construction workers, and

event planners, require multitasking. However, multitasking is a part of their job and this does

not conclude that they will accomplish nothing productive during their work hours.

Technology is a large part of people's lives in the 21st century and has completely

transformed the modern workplace by improving employees’ productivity. It has helped enable

workers to more effectively perform their jobs and do more in less time and with less effort.

Technology is an ingrained part of American culture; computers, smartphones, and other

machines will advance more and further aid workers in their daily job performance. Even social

media and networking, when used effectively and appropriately, can benefit workers by

improving their job satisfaction. Businesses should continue to fund and invest in new

technology systems. Not only does this bring competition and an increase in productivity, it also

helps improve the economy. In the future, technology will bring about more opportunities to

advance and improve workers’ productivity and efficiency.

 6

Works Cited

Arthanat, Sajay, Kasey Lesner, and Vidya Sundar. “An Evaluation Framework To Measure

Usability Of Assistive Technology At Workplace: A Demonstration Study.” Journal of

Vocational Rehabilitation, vol. 44, no. 2, 2016, pp. 213-26. EBSCOhost, Access no:

doi:10.3233/JVR-150792. 9 March 2017.

 7

Asunda, Paul. “Productivity, Social Networks, And Net Communities In The

Workforce.” Techniques: Connecting Education And Careers, vol. 85, no. 5, 2010, pp.

38-41. EBSCOhost. 7 March 2017.

Bannister, Frank, and Dan Remenyi. “Multitasking: The Uncertain Impact Of

Technology On Knowledge Workers And Managers.” Electronic Journal Of

Information Systems Evaluation, vol. 12, no. 1, 2009, pp. 1-11. EBSCOhost. 19 March

2017.

Brynjolfsson, Erik, and Lorin M. Hitt. “Computing Productivity: Firm-Level Evidence.”

MIT Center For Digital Business, 2002, pp. 1-41.

http://ebusiness.mit.edu/erik/Brynjolfsson-Hitt-Computing%20Productivity.doc.

13 March 2017.

Cohn, Jonathan. “The Robot Will See You Now.” The Atlantic, March 2013.

https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2013/03/the-robot-will-see-you-

now/309216/. 20 March 2017.

Houser, Kristin, and June Javelosa. “This Company Replaced 90% Of Its Workforce

With Machines. Here’s What Happened.” World Economic Forum, 2017.

https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2017/02/after-replacing-90-of-employees-with-robots-

this-companys-productivity-soared. 20 March 2017.

Nixon, Richard. “Address To The Nation On Labor Day.” 6 September 1971, Camp

David, MD. Address.

Noguchi, Yuki. “When It Comes To Productivity, Technology Can Hurt And Help.”

National Public Radio, 2013.

 8

http://www.npr.org/sections/alltechconsidered/2013/05/06/179072692/when-it-comes-

to-productivity-technology-can-hurt-and-help. 19 March 2017.

Purcell, Kristen, and Lee Rainie. “Technology’s Impact On Workers.” Pew Research

Center, 2014.

http://www.pewinternet.org/2014/12/30/technologys-impact-on-workers/. 19

March 2017.

Sampat, Brinda, and Pooja A. Basu. “Cyberloafing: The Di(sguised)gital Way Of

Loafing On The Job.” IUP Journal of Organizational Behavior, vol. 16, no. 1, 2017, pp.

19-37. EBSCOhost. 11 March 2017.

“Social Networking & Computer Privacy.” Workplace Fairness.

http://www.workplacefairness.org/social-network-computer-privacy-workplace. 3

April 2017.

Thompson, Derek. “A World Without Work.” The Atlantic, July 2015.

https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2015/07/world-without-work/395294/.

11 March 2017.