--- title: Ugh, productivity paranoia? - The Hustle description: Managers with less control over a hybrid workforce are developing “productivity paranoia.” image: https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/1547927808-HS-News-Brief_2022-10-03T023159.662Z.webp --- # Ugh, productivity paranoia? ![Juliet Bennett Rylah](https://53.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/53/assets/hubspot.com/web-team/WBZ/HubSpot%20Media/Blog%202021/Images/Nav/Optimized/TheHustle_Icon_Dark.svg) [Juliet Bennett Rylah](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/author/juliet-bennett-rylah) [Juliet Bennett Rylah Twitter profile ](https://twitter.com/JBRylah) Published: October 03, 2022 Updated: October 11, 2023 Headlines are still dissecting “quiet quitting,” but now there’s another alliterative term: “productivity paranoia,” referring to bosses who worry that workers aren’t doing their jobs. ![Ugh, productivity paranoia?](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hs-fs/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/1547927808-HS-News-Brief_2022-10-03T023159.662Z.webp?width=595&height=400&name=1547927808-HS-News-Brief_2022-10-03T023159.662Z.webp) In a recent [report](https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/worklab/work-trend-index/hybrid-work-is-just-work) on hybrid work, Microsoft found: - 87% of workers say they’re productive at work… - … While just 12% of leaders say they’re confident that their team is productive - Hybrid supervisors are less trusting than in-person managers (36% to 49%) This lack of trust has led to tracking software and other methods to retain control over remote workers (which [doesn’t work](https://thehustle.co/12142021-employers-spying/)). Employees not only dislike it, they subvert it. (Remember [mouse jigglers](https://www.vice.com/en/article/88gqgp/mouse-mover-jiggler-app-keep-screen-on-active)?) And leaders have since developed what Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella [calls](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-09-22/microsoft-msft-says-managers-shouldn-t-spy-on-staff-to-ensure-they-re-working?sref=LspfQlRv) productivity paranoia, despite findings that both meetings and productivity metrics have increased. #### **Microsoft’s conclusion?** Quit the productivity paranoia! Pivot from stressing over whether employees are working enough to helping them prioritize what’s most important. That includes clarifying what to do and what *not* to do, and rewarding impact over activity. 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