[easilyBored]

so if we remove "distractions" and work like robots will we get $30k more a year?

People are not robots. If I'm worth $200 an hour for the first 5 hours to an employee, by the 16th straight hour I'm barely in the positive territory. Companies should STFU and pay more, their earnings and cash piles show that money is being made.

[valuearb]

If it's so easy to run a profitable business, why not run your own and keep that money for yourself?

The truth is workplaces that limit distractions are much better places to work, and more enjoyable for employees. I've run organizations that offered one person offices to every developer, and it was a big reason why our turnover was extremely low.

[easilyBored]

If it's so easy to run a profitable business, why not run your own and keep that money for yourself?

Irrelevant. How do you know know I'm not already doing that.

My main point, which will valid for as long as humans are are the switch is that you cannot maximize every second.

[Arizhel]

Paying people more isn't going to magically make them more productive. These stupid open-office environments are killing productivity, so the first thing employers need to do is get rid of them and build proper offices. After that, pay more to attract better talent. They can save a little money on offices by having an open-plan sector where the loudmouths and extroverts who love open-plan offices can sit if they so choose.