Douglas Merritt, the chief executive of Splunk, an enterprise software company, also questioned whether the appearance of busy remote workers was leading to actual gains.
“There’s a big difference between activity and productivity,” he said. “There’s no doubt that our employee population is not performing at the same level they were.”
Mr. Merritt said that after a rush of intensity during the first couple of months of the coronavirus crisis, Splunk employees were adjusting to their new routines. And many of the intangible aspects of office life were, he believes, central to some of his most meaningful work.
“How do you capture the face-to-face body language that you can’t pick up over a Zoom?” Mr. Merritt said. “I am craving going back and siting in a conference room.”
“There’s a big difference between activity and productivity,” he said. “There’s no doubt that our employee population is not performing at the same level they were.”
Mr. Merritt said that after a rush of intensity during the first couple of months of the coronavirus crisis, Splunk employees were adjusting to their new routines. And many of the intangible aspects of office life were, he believes, central to some of his most meaningful work.
“How do you capture the face-to-face body language that you can’t pick up over a Zoom?” Mr. Merritt said. “I am craving going back and siting in a conference room.”
