Khan: Sitting near low performers drops employee productivity by up to 20%
Kingshuk Khan · Ending Interview Theatre and Finding True Professional Fit · Jun 24, 2026 · at 17:48
Kingshuk Khan, founder of Ikigai, discusses workplace peer dynamics and productivity research with host Adam Chen.
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“There was a study that if you take an employee and put them within, I think, 20 feet of the worst performing person at that company, that person's productivity will drop by about 15% to 20%. And if you put them next to the highest performing person at that company, Their productivity will increase, like, 30%. I might be misremembering the numbers, but the stats are true. The stats are that being next to someone who is productive and feels a particular way about something does increase your ability to do that job.”
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