Productivity: Now or Later?
November 08, 2017
In recent months, I’ve come across several articles that highlight futuristic features currently incorporated into office spaces.
There’s a wow! factor, and reading up on developing trends and technology gives great food for thought. However, most businesses, and ALL my clients, really care about what works in the here and now to make their workplace more productive.
So here are some practical, easy suggestions that you can incorporate into your workplace immediately that will positively impact productivity soon:
1) Clear the clutter. A workplace that is characterized by disarray and clutter lowers productivity. Cluttered offices also leave a bad impression with clients. It’s easy to understand why a client who sees a lack of organization in the office might worry that their project is being handled in the same haphazard fashion.
2) Allow employees to use flexible scheduling. The traditional 9-5 work day is pretty much a thing of the past. Technology allows us to accomplish a variety of work tasks from remote locations. Research shows that employees who can work remotely, at least part of the time, have higher levels of engagement and productivity.
3) Minimize disruptions, particularly when working on tasks that require intense focus. Turning off phones or forwarding calls directly to voicemail, disabling email and using noise reduction headphone may help. Provide spaces where employees can work without interruption. If appropriate, allow staff to work from home if that environment is more suitable to focused productivity.
4) Keep technology working, up to date and offer good tech support. Technology has drastically changed the way we work. Now we are dependent upon it. So, when there is a problem with technology, productivity is negatively impacted. Whether you handle your IT in house or outsource it, making sure that all employees understand the technology they use and have access to support is vital to productivity.
5) Let your workers move around. There’s good science behind the development of the sit/stand desk. If it’s not practical for your company to make that investment now, you can still encourage employees to incorporate movement into their day. Standing, stretching and taking a brief walk every hour or so will help keep workers alert, more focused and more productive.
Which one of these ideas will you implement? What have you already done to help your employees be more productive?
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