> New York Times - February 14, 2000
>
> Working Better or Just Harder?
> By STEPHEN S. ROACH
>
> Courtesy of laptops, cell phones, home fax machines and other
> appliances, knowledge workers are now online in cars, planes, trains
> and homes, virtually tethered to their offices. The "24/7" culture of
> nearly round-the-clock work is endemic to the wired economy. No one
> doubts that the hard-working people in the service sector are getting
> more done than they used to. But improving productivity is not about
> working longer; it's about adding more value per unit of work time.
But practically, isn't productivity actually about adding more value per unit of work time *paid for?* In that sense, it is up; it's not overstated. In which case Mr. Roach may have put his finger on exactly where the rise in productivity comes from and how the information revolution makes it possible. It's made it possible to get more unpaid work out of people.
Michael __________________________________________________________________________ Michael Pollak................New York City..............mpollak at panix.com