The modern office is filled with distractions, and that’s to say nothing about the everyday user’s life (kids, holidays, emergencies, etc). With so many devices and notifications interrupting focus for users all over the world, it’s more important than ever before to have a strategy for how to deal with these issues and become as productive as possible in the workplace. As a business owner, you want to have the trust in your team to finish their work without your complete and constantly-required oversight … but you must first empower them to do so.
Strategies for Improvement
To create a culture of productivity, you have to create what’s called a learning culture. Basically, you provide training to your employees on how to manage their distractions so they influence productivity as minimally as possible. This becomes easier if you have a task-assigning CRM or ERP where your team know exactly what they’re working on, how much time has been allotted for the task, and when they are expected to have it completed before moving on to the next one.
If employees know how to deal with distractions, they will be more likely to avoid them throughout the workday, and therefore, be more productive. Some of the most common distractions can be addressed in the following manner:
- Too much noise: If the office is a little too noisy for your liking, put on headphones. Even if you’re not listening to any music, it’s likely you’ll be distracted less, as people are generally more considerate about bothering others with headphones on.
- Smartphone access: In recent years, the smartphone has become like your house keys; “don’t leave home without it”. By turning off notifications and keeping your phone out of sight, you’ll be more likely to focus on what needs to be done. (note – this may have the largest push-back by staff, as well as being difficult to stick to yourself!)
- Coworker interactions: While it’s important to develop a good rapport with your coworkers, too much chit-chat can be distracting. Be sure to develop strong signals that you can give them if you’d rather not have a conversation at any given moment (see: “Too much noise” above).
- Hunger: While the lunch break is certainly a thing, some people need a little extra boost to make it through the morning. If a productivity session is interrupted by your growling stomach, just munch on something small to get you through the next few hours.
If technology is getting in the way of your employees’ productivity, we have a solution for you. To find out more, give COMPANYNAME a call at PHONENUMBER.
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