The Microstructure of Work: Understanding Productivity Benefits and Costs of Interruptions

Problem definition: We examine the impact of four classes of workplace interruptions on short-term (working hours) and long-term (across-shifts) worker performance in an agribusiness setting. The interruptions are organized in a two-by-two framework in which they result (or do not result) in a physical task requirement and lead to a varying degree of attention shift from the primary task. Academic/practical relevance: Prior operations management literature primarily examines the long-term effects of a single class of interruption that reduces performance. Our study contributes to this literature by examining multiple classes of interruptions that lead to positive and negative outcomes over the short-term in addition to the long-term. Further, our study also contributes to understanding the impact of general task transitions (interruptions) on worker performance, and the interrupting tasks include tasks that are not part of workers’ primary job duties. Our study is relevant to work settings that envelop high manual labor and experience interruptions regularly. Finally, we offer strategies to improve operational performance. Methodology: Using a granular data set on worker productivity from 211 harvesters yielding 117,581 truckloads of fruit harvested for 9,819 worker shifts, we utilize an instrumental variable approach with two-stage residual inclusion estimation on a mix of linear and nonlinear models to examine and quantify the impact of interruptions on both short- and long-term worker productivity. Results: We identify a new interruption class, a pause—interruptions that provide the physical respite and limit the degree of attention shift from the primary task. We find that pauses improve worker productivity in the short- and long-term. Next, we find that scheduled breaks hurt (improve) the worker’s productivity in the short-term (long-term). Finally, we find that harvester breakdown and travel across field interruptions that drain physical resources and cause attention shift hurt worker productivity in the short- and long-term. We quantify the impact (in our field context) of a five-minute increase in each of these work interruptions on average worker productivity. Managerial implications: Our study demonstrates that various work interruptions can have positive or negative effects on workers’ productivity. We suggest that introducing brief pauses in a workday and simultaneously reminding (before initiating the pause) employees about the tasks yet to be completed or goals to be achieved for the rest of the shift can help maintain their focus on the work and yield high-performance benefits. We also suggest strategies that limit the restart costs and increase the predictability of interruptions that hurt performance. For example, in regards to scheduled breaks, planning the break after completing a subtask or reaching a subgoal can limit their adverse effects. Further, informing workers on the possibility of interruption circumstances at the beginning of the work shift can help them plan for these events and improve engagement and performance on the primary job.