I have made the point repeatedly that the same worker is very much more productive with better physical plant. Therefore, there are two ways to "improve" accounting measures of worker productivity. To punish the worker for having to work with crap equipment, or to invest in improving their equipment.

The capitalists who decided to not invest in proper equipment in the first place are not punished, only the workers who had no say in the matter.

There are three stories about the euro crisis: the Republican story, the German story, and the truth. -- Paul Krugman