For several centuries, productivity has been an important driving force in the Western world's economic growth. The same applies to today's businesses. If you want to grow, you must also look at productivity. But how should we actually utilise the time we gain from becoming more productive? Should we use that time to be with our families or to secure more orders? I will attempt to answer that question in this post.
From a political perspective, there has been – particularly since the establishment of the Productivity Commission in 2012 – a strong focus on how Denmark can increase its productivity in the coming years. Since the mid-1990s, Denmark has experienced low productivity growth. From a political standpoint, this naturally needs to be changed.
30-hour working week
In the political debate, there are divided opinions on how we should solve the challenges. At one end, we find proposals that the top tax threshold should be raised or even scrapped. According to, among others, Liberal Alliance and Conservatives, this would cause employees – who are close to the threshold – to work even more than 37 hours a week, thereby increasing the labour supply.
At the other extreme, we find a proposal from one of Denmark's newer political parties, Alternativet, which during the 2015 general election put forward a somewhat controversial proposal for the future of the working week: Work 30 hours a week – gain greater quality of life.
“Freedom is a keyword in this context. The freedom to choose how that extra time should be prioritised. And mobile time tracking helps to provide that freedom.”
The hamster wheel dilemma: Should we keep running faster?
The undersigned will not take a stance on the specific proposals. My point is merely that both proposals are based on the premise that increased productivity results in more free time.
Should I use the extra hours to get new customers and work for the company?
Shall I try to tackle even more work tasks in the same week?
Should I finish work earlier and build up a surplus to do my work even better next working week?
Greater productivity gives greater freedom
The answer to these questions understandably depends on your own situation and starting point. My starting point is that I witness every week how mobile time tracking saves our customers time. Time that is reinvested differently:
- Some customers increase revenue by filling up the order book.
- Other customers get more time to manage their employees, which provides an even better overview of case costs, contribution margins, etc.
- And some completely different customers use the freed-up time to be with their families in the evenings, rather than invoicing and sorting payroll.
Freedom is a key word in this context. The freedom to choose yourself how the extra time should be prioritised. And mobile time tracking helps to provide that freedom.
But how do you do it in your company? Are you more productive? And if so, how do you utilise the time that you gain as a surplus? Is mobile time tracking part of your “productivity plan”?
Please feel free to contact me for a chat about how time tracking could make your business more productive. I'm sure it will be worth your while.
Would you like to get a better handle on productivity in your company?
Have you become curious about how you can gain a better overview of how you spend your time during the workday? Intempus is a tool where you can record and plan your time, so you get more control over your time. Contact us at +45 26390400 or press the button below to design your own time tracking solution, which can give you a better insight into the opportunities your company has with a solution from us:
