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The illusion of productivity: Unmasking the corporate ‘make work’ culture
“Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.” — Confucius
Last post, in How AI and automation have created a concerning ‘make work’ pattern, I explored the phenomenon of “make work.” In that blog, I focused primarily on the known prime examples of retail and manufacturing. Now, in this blog, here, I focus the numerous white-collar jobs at the forefront of AI and automation’s refurbishing. This includes developments in the mundanity of corporate entities, extending to the entertainment industry, where workers are voicing concerns about the future of their business. This topic is not new to my writing here on Medium. In fact, I have previously discussed such issues, noting observations such as the many design teams being reduced to mere UI components teams, akin to factory line operations.
This is a conversation we’re having with our friends, peers and partners, yet there’s a noticeable lack of acknowledgment regarding the impact of this trend on the white-collar worker.
Over the past year, I’ve engaged in numerous discussions with peers and colleagues about the emerging “make work” phenomenon, a trend that seems to have gained momentum in the post-Covid era. This was a period that familiarized many of us, more broadly, with tools like Zoom, and its black, abyss-like screens, where we sit, hoping our colleagues on the other end are as engaged in what we term ‘work.’ For many moments like this were epiphany of their own labour not being “essential,” and also questioning our deeper understanding of work value.
Amidst the vast expanse of the corporate world, a disturbing trend is crystallizing with alarming clarity: the ‘make work’ phenomenon. This goes beyond merely filling time in our respective work bubbles; it’s about fostering a corporate culture riddled with inefficiency and redundancy, a labyrinth where progress is but an illusion.
This experience starkly highlighted the inefficiencies and time-wasting practices that are becoming increasingly prevalent in our workplaces.
