Productivity Pulse Nov 2025 – Feb 2026 NotebookLM Summary

22nd March 2026

We gave NotebookLM our Productivity Pulse podcasts from November 2025 to February 2026 with Sue, Simon, & James and this is what it came up with…

We follow the stop-watch data behind everyday queues and show how “efficient” labour models can still create predictable chaos at peak demand. We trace how wage pressure, algorithmic scheduling, and physical layout decisions reshape what workers do and what customers feel.

• Minimum wage pressure and the knock-on effects of wage compression
• The efficiency index and why zero slack systems lose resilience
• Variable efficiency and why two stores can feel like different companies
• Algorithmic break scheduling that prioritises compliance over footfall
• Hidden travel time that turns a short break into a bigger productivity hit
• Manager role drift and why leadership disappears into shelf-stacking
• How quick service restaurants redesign space for delivery drivers
• Kiosks, upselling psychology, and the customer dithering factor
• Micro efficiencies in kitchens that function like pit-stop engineering
• Parcel collection bottlenecks and the shaky maths of the halo effect
• Stock replenishment waste, taking stock for a walk, and lean batch processing

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We will be at the Retail Technology Show the 22nd and 23rd of April at the Excel in London
We’ve got the VIP party in partnership with Solvedby.AI on the 22nd April. Register here… VIP Aftershow
Our Productivity Forum takes place on 10th September in Birmingham. Register here… ReThink Forum 2026