U.S. workers have gotten less productive – no one is sure why
I&#x27;m pretty sure I know why...<p>The working environment changed. Bit by bit I moved from an environment with gentleman&#x27;s agreements and so on towards something in which everything was codified, safetyism became rampant, etc.<p>In the UK over the past few years I went from going into a nice office in a number of beautiful old buildings, getting my stuff done with cameraderie, having lunch together and playing board games, having a laugh in the board room, perhaps a pub visit after work - to sitting alone at home for 8 hours staring at a screen.<p>So I quit. My productivity - gone. And I fear it&#x27;s never coming back unless that environment comes back; because I can&#x27;t effectively function at a &quot;job&quot; with zero human interaction for an entire day, I&#x27;ve had to replace traditional work with other activities.<p>But is it just me? My friends in retail and other low skill jobs - half the workforce seems to have disappeared so they&#x27;re all being asked to do far more than is realistically possible. My friends who are in education - the entire job changed, no more giggling and laughing children, you were playing a video game with half the class absent. Perhaps they&#x27;re back now - but they&#x27;re dysfunctional because their development was neglected for years. My friends who are in law - the entire job changed, no more travel, no dressing up, sit at home with a screen. My friends who are in medicine - christ, let&#x27;s not even go there, eh?<p>I can&#x27;t speak for those people. But I know that I need a reset, because this &quot;new world&quot; is one I&#x27;m just not built for.