Productivity

A person's 30s and 40s are usually the prime career-making years, as workers become settled in their chosen industry, and climb up its ladder (the average age of incoming CEOs at S&P 500 companies was 52.9 in 2010, according to the Wall Street Journal). But it's this age group that has the most ...

WASHINGTON -- U.S. companies got slightly more out of their workers this spring after scaling back on hiring. The modest 1.6 percent annualized gain in productivity from April through June signals employers may need to hire more if demand picks up. The Labor Department said Wednesday that the increase ...

It's no secret that Americans are working longer and harder than ever. Now, a new poll shows more of us are forgoing the lunch hour and opting instead for a quick bite huddled over our keyboards. A recent survey of workers found that 62 percent of those with desk jobs typically ate lunch at their desks. The ...

By Ritika Trikha If your current time-management system involves five-hour energy drinks or three to four cups of coffee per day, it's time for a change. But cutting back on your work is likely not an option: In this competitive job market, taking on more responsibility and exceeding expectations is a given ...

By Alison Green Working from home might sound like a dream come true when you consider the prospect of having no commute, working in sweatpants, and doing laundry in the background. But it isn't easy; it takes discipline and structure, and it's not for everyone. ...

People spend vast amounts of time on the Internet. They watch the latest cat videos, check Facebook, etc. It's not exactly productive, per se. But I want to make the case that the things you think are big time sucks -- like reading the Fail blog -- are not the real causes of wasted time at work. A few years ...

By Kelly Eggers It sure sounded like a good idea. When Tuft and Lach Law, a small law practice in St. Paul, Minn., opted for open, shared office space, they didn't expect to hate it. After all, numerous academic studies have shown that workers are more productive in open offices and, in the trend-setting ...

Working overtime doesn't increase your output. It makes you stupid. Many of us still imagine that the more we work, the more productive we are. For over a hundred years or more, this has been deemed nonsense. ...

"What time do you want me to start work?" That's the question a new hire recently asked me. She looked a little startled by my reply. "I don't care." But it was the truth. I didn't care-and I never have-what hours are kept by the people who work for me. You could say I'm the opposite of a control freak, in ...