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May 23, 2014
Q. When M.I.T. doctoral candidate Ben Weber outfitted 80 bank operators with palm-size sensors to wear around their necks as they worked, he was clearly up to something important. Such as what?
A. The sensors tracked who talked with whom and for how long, giving Weber and company executives hard numbers on how important social interactions are in employees' happiness and productivity, says Adam Piore in Discover magazine. Monitored as well were workers' location, tone of voice and other telling details. Weber found that bankers belonging to small tight-knit groups that interacted frequently were not only happier but got more work done, shared ideas faster, and divvied up tasks more efficiently. He also found he could predict changes in bankers' job satisfaction with up to 60 percent accuracy.
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