Nando's and Lancaster bombers...
One of my favourite productivity facts is that during WWII workers in aviation factories used to volunteer to work over the weekend to increase bomber production. When the working week was already 5 and a 1/2 days plus overtime this was a real commitment, but in the end it was banned. The increase in mistakes caused by tiredness meant many of the planes had to be sent back to be rebuilt properly and workers were so knackered that aircraft production fell during the rest of the week, so that fewer aircraft overall were produced.
Nando’s is now closing some restaurants because it cannot get enough chicken and the government’s response is to let HGV drivers work longer hours, this too will end in tears. Drivers driving for longer causes accidents, cannot last and cannot make up for serious gaps in the number of drivers.
Why this worries me is because if a restaurant chain like Nando’s is running out of chicken and my local supermarket has increasingly empty shelves, the logistical system is close to breaking point.
The industry has been telling the government this for months and it is getting worse. Unless something changes very quickly there is a real chance it will break.