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Productivity

Businesses that have survived the pandemic are spending. On themselves.

by Justin Ho
Apr 21, 2021
Many businesses are pumping money into much-needed improvements, and that spending is rippling through the economy.
Some changes businesses made during the pandemic, including in the food industry, will improve operations over the long term.
Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images
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U.S. productivity plummeted in Q4, and reopening the economy might be why

by Kai Ryssdal and Sean McHenry
Mar 4, 2021
The measure fell at the steepest rate in 40 years, but that might not be as ominous as it sounds — if the trend is short term.
Less productive businesses like restaurants have started to reopen, which may be causing national productivity data to decline.
Scott Heins/Getty Images
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Economic Anxiety Index®

The cost of sleep deprivation

by Erika Beras
Nov 23, 2020
A RAND study found that lack of sleep costs the U.S. about $411 billion a year in lost productivity.
Right now, more than a third of Americans are feeling anxious and losing sleep as a result, according to the most recent Marketplace-Edison Research Poll.
m-gucci/iStock via Getty Images
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Elections 2020

Getting any work done? Election uncertainty drives distraction at work

by Samantha Fields
Nov 5, 2020
The election has had a major effect on work productivity this year, with more people voting and paying attention to the results.
Jason Redmond/AFP via Getty Images
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COVID-19

Sleepless nights are sapping productivity, exacerbating anxiety

by Meghan McCarty Carino
May 7, 2020
It's not just you. Sleep has gotten weird for all of us.
A tired nurse at a hospital. Disrupted living is affecting how well people sleep.
Aris Oikonomou/AFP via Getty Images
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Workplace Culture

Will the 2020s bring an end to the era of open offices?

by Meghan McCarty Carino
Dec 31, 2019
Blamed for everything from decreased productivity to increased flu cases, the majority of workers hate them, a survey says.
Collaboration or constant distraction? Google employees work in an open office in Berlin in January.
Tobias Schwarz/AFP via Getty Images
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Workplace Culture

Worker productivity declined for first time in four years

by Meghan McCarty Carino
Nov 6, 2019
No, it's not because of social media or politics.
One economist said we're stuck in the slow lane when it comes to productivity.
Chaloner Woods/Getty Images
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The opioid crisis is getting more expensive

by Jack Stewart
Oct 21, 2019
Lost earnings from those who have died of overdoses were a major factor, according to the Society of Actuaries.
Flowers are placed at a Minneapolis memorial for people who have died from opioid overdoses.
Kerem Yucel/AFP/Getty Images
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climate change

Heat waves reveal another cost of climate change

by Kimberly Adams
Jul 17, 2019
Rising temperatures associated with climate change will create a significant drain on economic productivity, according to researchers.
Glass installer Brian Herrera unloads a truck in Washington, D.C. He says he often has to work in extreme heat, and has several strategies to protect himself.
Kimberly Adams
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Worker productivity is booming. Why is inflation so tame?

by Tracey Samuelson
May 2, 2019
Additional production isn't translating to additional income.
Colby College, a small, private liberal arts college, will open the doors to the Davis Institute of Artificial Intelligence this fall. It plans on expanding the curriculum of AI and machine learning to all areas of study.
Grant Hindsley/AFP/Getty Images
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