The Top 4 Productivity Killers In The Workplace

Productivity is the backbone of a company’s growth, but in today’s work environment there are multiple distractions that can impact it. A manager’s job is to limit these distractions without taking an authoritarian approach, a delicate balancing act that can be achieved with clear policies and good communication.

Killer #1 - Multitasking

One of the biggest productivity killers is multitasking. Context switching, a form of multitasking involving jumping between tasks, can nuke productivity by 40%. Eliminating multitasking in a world where many employees are wearing multiple hats is tough, but it can at least be minimized. 

The kryptonite for multitasking is proper time management and eliminating distractions. Blocking off time for specific tasks and doing your best to focus on those during that time can help eliminate multitasking. To best focus on these tasks, email access should be shut down and notifications muted to avoid distractions. Presence information should also be changed to “focus time” or something similar so co-workers know not to interrupt.

Killer #2 - Meetings

Many employers are starting to adopt the practice of eliminating unnecessary meetings. With the right project management tools and employee productivity monitoring apps like Prodoscore, it’s easier than ever for management to know what’s going on with their team without getting on a phone or video call.

To eliminate time-sucking meetings, establish a policy that includes specific criteria for when a meeting is needed. While a project kickoff meeting may be necessary to brief a team, project progress meetings can be eliminated pretty simply with proper use of a project management tool and email.

There may have to be some individual coaching that goes along with this - one senior management person who is used to having meetings for everything can derail the whole process. The Harvard Business Review found that newly promoted managers tend to be the worst culprits. 

Prepare a presentation to go with the policy that lays out the business case for eliminating unnecessary meetings, and be prepared for a few one-on-ones with people who are resistant to change. With employee productivity soaring by 71% when 40% of meetings are eliminated, this is a must-do for any business.

Killer #3 - Chatty Co-Workers

For some people, dealing with overly chatty co-workers is one of the greatest arguments for remote work. Now that most employees work at least partially at an office, this particular productivity killer is back. In a UK survey of employees, talkative team members were listed as the top office distraction at 23%. There are several ways to target this particular issue, and everyone but the offending parties will thank you. The first is to have as many remote work days as possible; Prodoscore’s own research spanning across many companies shows that hybrid work is the most productive work style. 

The second is to identify the offending employees - you probably know who they are - and coach them to stay on task and keep conversations going with an after-work coffee or other social engagements with the co-workers they want to socialize with. Highly extroverted people may not be aware of how much they are affecting those around them, and if it is handled sensitively enough, they may just need a reminder to rein it in a little. 

Killer #4 - Digital Distractions

One of the biggest distractions in the workplace is the same as the biggest distraction in a classroom: smartphones and social media. This can be tricky to implement in today’s world because you don’t want to do something as draconian as having staff turn off their personal phones completely during work hours, but you also need to have some guidelines around personal smartphone use. 

How big of a distraction is this? According to a CareerBuilder poll conducted by Harris, 50% of hiring managers and HR professionals listed smartphones and texting as the biggest productivity killer, with social media at 38%. 

In fact, one in four workers self-reported themselves as spending one hour texting per day - on average - for personal reasons. With numbers like this, managers can’t ignore personal smartphone use. A clear policy should restrict text messaging and personal social media use during focus time and meetings. 

Clear policies, communication of these policies, and good organization and time management are all things that can be used to limit distractions and increase productivity. Only a few of them, such as limiting meetings, will make you popular with your team. If you use Prodoscore, your staff will be encouraged to up their own productivity and will self-coach to some extent, which could see them limiting smartphone use and reducing the amount of socializing they do during work hours.

If you’d like to get a better idea of what your team is doing with a non-invasive productivity monitoring solution, contact us for a demonstration of Prodoscore today.