Putting an end to productivity
Putting an end to productivity
Laëtitia Vitaud
Author and lecturer on the future of work.
Not a day goes by without a worker sharing his or her productivity secrets on social networks. Yet productivity is a concept that is worn out and deeply unfair. It is directly inherited from the Industrial Revolution and cannot appreciate the 'essentiality' of some jobs - a concept that was highlighted by the Covid crisis.
By making connections between productivity, slavery and patriarchy, Laetitia Vitaud reminds us of the dangerous foundations of this notion, which promotes the dehumanisation of work, denies the contribution of free labour and rhymes with soil extraction and resource shortages.
It's high time to question the primacy of productivity in our economy and the valuation of work. What if we were to evolve towards a fairer and more virtuous tool that could strengthen our links - with each other and with our environment?
