Five Things That Can Destroy Productivity in the Office
Some productivity killers in your office are obvious. For example, employees who have access to social media on their cell phones are more likely to whittle away the time, while that one chatty coworker is likely to waste plenty of their time throughout the day, as well as wasting everyone else’s time as they stop by to chat.
That’s not all! There are other things lurking in your office that can destroy productivity. Knowing what they are can help you find ways to minimize or eliminate their effect on everyone’s day.
Fire
When was the last time you thought about your fire safety plan? If it has been a while, you should definitely give it some thought. Fire departments respond to more than 3,000 office-based fires each year, and those fires can destroy productivity for days, weeks, or even months.
It’s not just an actual fire that can take everyone away from their desks. High school kids may be known for pulling the fire alarm, but mischievous employees may give the alarm a pull on days when they could use a break.
Make sure you have a fire safety plan that enables you to tackle real fires quickly and safely, and make sure fire alarms are covered so they aren’t tripped quickly or accidentally. You may also want to consider setting up security cameras near alarms to detract troublemakers from giving them a pull.
Threats
There are a number of threats that can stop you in your tracks for the day. One is bomb threats. Although uncommon, it isn’t unheard of for offices to receive bomb threats that may require employees to stop what they’re doing and leave the office. Knowing how to respond is the best way to get everyone back at their desks as quickly as possible.
Technological threats are more likely than bomb threats to rob your office of productivity. Hackers and viruses can gain access to systems and slow or shut them down so it’s nearly impossible to get any work done. It’s important to backup your systems so they can be restored quickly without the loss of data.
Tech Problems
Technology has allowed us to do more than ever before in the office. Unfortunately, it can also stand in our way when we’re trying to get work done.
Tech issues can kill productivity in a number of ways. For example:
- Slow hardware and software can make it tedious to get any work done
- New tech and software can be difficult to get used to
- Instant messengers and email can be distracting
Issues with tech should be faced head-on. Update hardware and software so everything runs smoothly and quickly, provide plenty of training when installing new hardware and implementing new software, and develop policies that encourage employees to check email and use instant messengers less frequently throughout the day.
Meetings
Meetings are necessary to disseminate information among your team and encourage collaboration. Or are they?
The truth is that most meetings kill productivity without much benefit. They pull employees away from their desks, and even when they return after the meeting is over, it can take a little while for everyone to focus in on getting work done again.
Be honest with yourself about whether a meeting is really needed, or if you can pass along the necessary information in an email. If a meeting is necessary, keep it as short as possible and make sure you and everyone else stays on topic so everyone can return to their desk sooner rather than later.
Clocks
You probably don’t think much about the clocks hanging around the office, but they could be killing everyone’s productivity. It’s easy to watch the clock when things are slow, even though there are other things you could be doing, but it’s also easy to watch the clock when working on a difficult or unpleasant project. Clock watching pulls you out of the moment, ruins focus, and causes projects to take much longer to be completed.
Don’t hang unnecessary clocks on the walls, especially when employees have access to watches and devices that can tell them what time it is. You can also consider encouraging employees to hide the clock on their computers.
We aren’t machines, which means we can’t be 100 percent productive 100 percent of the time, but there are things you can do in the office so that everyone can focus on the task at hand or get back to work as soon as possible after a disruption.
