Managers beware: busyness isn’t always good for business | Stefan Stern

Staying active can benefit older people, but forcing employees to look busy does nothing for productivity. Sometimes, less work gets more done

What is your favourite style of literature? Voltaire was once asked. "All styles are good," he said, "except for the boring kind." People like the idea of busyness because it is better than feeling bored. The sadness at the heart of Waiting for Godot is that, for Vladimir and Estragon, there is "nothing to be done" (the play's opening line). The closing stage direction says: "They do not move."

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