Workplace deaths are on the rise in Italy. “Hard Labor,” wrote the writer and poet Cesare Pavese. Unfortunately, it also kills. Among the many WHYS, there is one that remains unknown. They want to hide the fact that an economy reduced to pure and simple accounting of money is harmful, to the point of sacrificing the lives of those who work. Productivity, which in the 17th century referred to the quality of being productive, in the 19th century became the measure of output per unit of input. If 3 workers produce 45 units in a working day, productivity is 45:3 = 15 units per worker. This measure has also been used to significantly accelerate the production of large quantities of standardized material goods through assembly lines or automated production lines. The rush to produce manufactured goods has led to the halving of biomass and the doubling of manufactured goods. It has been estimated that the mass of plastic is already double that of all animals, both land and sea. Hours worked and tasks completed are metrics that overlook the value created for long-term success by dedicating time to creative thinking, insights, and team collaboration. Today, we are, or should be, aware that productivity depends on many factors. Among these are the happiness and, more generally, the psychological well-being of employees, which translates into their greater and better engagement in company life. Promoting and measuring job satisfaction is an unconventional approach to productivity. Japan’s Hitachi has engaged its staff in the creation of performance metrics, metrics that encompass the holistic contribution of individuals within the organization. Uncertainty about measurement methods and resistance to deep and broad monitoring are obstacles that can be overcome by a firm desire to recognize the human aspect of work and the freedom of workers to devote themselves to tasks that require creativity, informed decision-making, and collaboration.
The process of revolutionizing productivity is a difficult one. It flees from the bad or tires of the good achieved, intending to seek and find the best along a path dotted with Greek myths. In the wake of Aristotelian thought, the supreme good (eudaimonia) is to achieve excellence, that is, “human flourishing,” which is full personal fulfillment. Teams formed to achieve a rich, productive harvest will pursue a “task culture” with the intellectual qualities represented by the goddess Athena, with morality and justice following the advice of Hesiod’s Works and Days (mid-8th century BCE – 7th century BCE), and with mutual aid to solve arduous tasks, comparable to the twelve “Labors of Hercules,” which would otherwise be “Labors of Sisyphus,” the king condemned to push a boulder up a mountain only to see it fall back each time. The abundance of the harvest, an indicator of success according to Pluto, the god of wealth, will be commensurate with the quality and functionality of the goods, pursuing the mastery of the artisans (here the reference is to Hephaestus, the god of blacksmiths). Hesiod recognized the value of work as a source of culture. A value to be appreciated from a perspective that goes beyond pure economic output. This includes considering environmental, social, and equitable parameters, challenging the idea that longer hours always mean better work. A narrative of sustainable productivity must be built, demonstrating how it can generate economic value by improving employee well-being. Forcing workers to work longer hours and faster may increase production in the short term, but it is not sustainable. Furthermore, the value of work diminishes over time if wages, as seen in Italy, do not increase proportionately.
