Let me start by saying, I’m not anti-tech. I love it. I use it every day, for everything from audio and video production, to video conferencing and streaming, to time management tools. I would venture to say, and I’m sure most would agree, that technology is essential today. Technology drives efficiency, scalability and speed. It’s the backbone of logistics, data management, internal communications, marketing automation and so much more. You’d be hard-pressed to find a company that isn’t leaning on tech to gain a competitive edge.
But here’s the other side of this coin: technology is also killing productivity, crippling communication and slowly eroding the human side of business. Not because the tech itself is bad, but because the way we use it is bad. We’re not in control. It is.
We’re so “connected” that we’ve become fragmented. We’re so efficient we’ve forgotten how to think critically. We rely so much on technology that our cognitive skills are in decline.
We are so focused on tools that we’ve stopped building culture. And that’s the dilemma leaders across all industries need to wake up to.
Related: Technology Might Be Killing Us, But It Doesn’t Have to Be That Way
The productivity illusion
Ask most leaders if technology makes their people more productive, and you’ll get a quick “absolutely.” That’s the promise, right? Automate more. Communicate faster. Get more done. But dig a little deeper, and it’s not that simple.
A study by Bain & Company found that the average mid-level leader now processes over 30,000 communications a year. That’s up from just 1,000 in the early ’90s. Email, chat, Slack, Zoom, Asana, Teams, the list goes on. All of it is designed to “make work better.”
Yet most professionals only get about seven hours of true focus time in a 47-hour work week. Seven hours. That’s one good day of deep, uninterrupted work buried in a week full of buzzing phones, message alerts, pointless meetings and endless scrolling. This is the cost of what is known as “context switching.”
Every time we jump from a spreadsheet to a meeting invite, from writing a proposal to answering a text, we lose momentum. Our brains burn energy every time they shift gears, and it takes time to get back into flow. Multiply that by ten, twenty or fifty interruptions a day, and you’ve got a productivity drain hiding in plain sight.
It’s not just bad time management. It’s bad tech discipline.
Related: Why Employee Productivity in the Tech Industry Is Down
Using technology with intention
Every organization has its own operational pace, but across industries — manufacturing, healthcare, banking, retail, construction, etc., the story is the same: busy people, lots of activity, not enough output. The real question isn’t “how can we do more?” It’s “how can we be smarter with our time and technology?”
If you’re blocking out time for high-impact work, protect it. Close your email. Silence your phone. Turn off Teams notifications. Let your team know you’re in focus mode. And encourage them to do the same. This isn’t about rejecting communication. It’s about owning it. Creating structure. Setting boundaries. And making tech serve you, not the other way around.
This isn’t revolutionary advice. But it’s something that’s rarely practiced. And it’s costing companies millions in wasted effort, delayed decisions and half-baked results.
The distraction spiral
We all know this one. You’re working on something important. You’re exhausted. You hit a snag. Your brain wants a break. What do you do? You grab your phone.
“Just checking the weather.”
“Just one scroll through Instagram.”
“Just a quick look at the stock market.”
Except it’s never just one scroll. Five minutes becomes fifteen. And when you finally return to your task, you’re mentally foggy. The flow is gone. That break didn’t help you; it hurt you.
If you really want to clear your head and reset, step outside. Walk. Stretch. Talk to someone. Give your brain oxygen and space, not more stimulation. Phones are great tools, but terrible distractions. Know the difference.
Related: The Most Successful Founders Take Retreats — Here’s Why You Should, Too
Communication isn’t just volume
This is very important to remember. More communication doesn’t equal better communication. In fact, the quality of communication is dropping fast. We’re hiding behind emails and texts. Avoiding real conversations. Cutting out nuance. And then wondering why teams are misaligned, messages are misinterpreted, tensions are up, and collaboration feels like a chore.
Technology-based communication has its place. But if a conversation is important, complex or emotional, don’t text it. Don’t email it. Talk it. Pick up the phone. Walk to someone’s desk. Get on a quick video call. Real-time, real-tone, real presence.
And leaders? Don’t hide behind system messages or company-wide memos. Talk to your people. Listen to your people. Culture doesn’t live in your technology arsenal, it lives in your connections and interactions.
Remote work isn’t the culprit. Disconnection is.
To be clear, remote work isn’t killing productivity. In fact, for many companies, output is up. People are focused, efficient, and getting more done without the distractions of a traditional office. But there’s a flip side. While productivity has gone up, collaboration and innovation have taken a hit. That’s because what remote work gives in efficiency, it often takes away in human connection.
You can’t build a strong culture through a webcam. You can’t spark big ideas when every conversation has to be scheduled. And collaboration doesn’t just happen during Zoom calls, it happens between them. In the hallways. At the coffee machine. In that five-minute conversation before a meeting starts. Those spontaneous moments are where trust is built and ideas take shape.
The answer isn’t mandating a return to the office. It’s being more deliberate about connection. Unscheduled check-ins. Culture-building moments that aren’t tied to deadlines. Occasional in-person meetups that serve a real purpose. And leaders who make themselves visible and available, even if it’s virtually. Because what drives a great company isn’t just systems and tools. It’s trust. It’s energy. It’s people who feel seen, heard, and valued. You don’t get that by chance. You get it by design.
So what can you do?
Here’s the quick hit list:
If you’re on a team:
- Protect your deep work time like it’s gold, because it is.
- Schedule response windows instead of reacting to every ping.
- When you feel distracted, take a real break, not a digital one.
- Know when a conversation needs to be live, not typed.
If you’re leading:
- Model the behavior. Don’t say “focus matters” while flooding your team with noise.
- Be clear on what tools are for and what they’re not for.
- Use tech to enhance relationships, not replace them.
- Keep communication personal, especially in critical moments.
We can automate tasks. We can digitize processes. But we can’t digitize relationships, and we can’t digitize trust. And we shouldn’t try.
Technology should enhance your culture, not compete with it. It should accelerate your results, not dilute your focus. And it should support your people, not sideline them. The smartest companies in the world aren’t the ones with the most software. They’re the ones who know how to use it and when to use it.
If you want to build a brand that lasts, a team that performs, and a culture people fight to be part of, don’t just invest in better technology. Invest in better habits. Because at the end of the day, it’s not your technology that sets you apart, it’s your people.
