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These productivity traps could be harming your business

Productivity is imperative for good business. Understanding your priorities as a business will enable you to align your core goals with those of your staff, thereby improving productivity. But this is often not enough, as you and your staff are still at risk of falling into productivity traps.

Tackling these productivity traps now is more important than ever, as employees in the UK begin returning to their offices after a long period of working remotely. Since it’s easier to take control of how your team performs when you’re all inside the same office, it’s important to address productivity traps there.

That said, here are the top productivity killers to watch out for:

Interruptions

Creative strategist Royale Scuderi explains exactly how interruptions ruin focus, as they force your mind to do a mental shift. When this happens, it can be difficult to refocus on the prior task.

A solution for this is to encourage everyone to zone in on work for long periods. During these periods, ask your employees to close their emails, turn off their phones, and log off from social media. Have five, maybe six, of these all-work periods throughout the day, and you’ll see an improvement in productivity.

Productive procrastination

Personal Growth Lab editor Jari Roomer calls productive procrastination a silent killer, as it is “the act of being busy while still procrastinating on your most valuable tasks.” In other words, it is preoccupying oneself with low-value tasks (e.g. replying to unimportant emails, focusing on housekeeping) instead of high-value ones.

In our post ‘8 Tips to Keep Your Team Motivated’ we discussed that for managers to keep their teams motivated and performing their best, it’s crucial to provide a clear, bold, and compelling objective. By clearly communicating which tasks must be prioritised and reminding everyone to focus on them first, you can help mitigate productive procrastination in your office.

Uncomfortable workstations

Cat trapped inside a bird feeder.
Photo by Tomas Tuma on Unsplash

Being uncomfortable hampers productivity, especially if it’s built into your workstation. It’s important to address this by checking if the facilities are fit for your employees. Ask yourself if there’s enough space, ventilation, a good variety of desks, and comfortable chairs.

A major factor to keep in mind during this process is the average height and weight of your staff. Pain Free Working recommends that companies take into consideration the different heights of their employees, and then modify the company’s facilities to suit such variances. But you do not necessarily have to overhaul all workstations or renovate the entire office, as simply improving workplace ergonomics is the most efficient solution. 

Tech Republic notes that good ergonomics is essential to a productive and healthy workforce, and you can ensure it by simply providing your staff with adjustable chairs and desks, as well as accessories like footrests. These changes will ensure you have a safe, healthy and productive work environment.

Workaholism

Working more is not the key to being more productive. An Inc. article on escaping productivity traps details how workaholism is counterproductive, as it increases one’s risk of depression and anxiety, and results in less sleep and a shortened attention span. The end result, then, is decreased productivity.

To counter this, you will have to promote a culture of work-life balance and encourage your team to slow down or take a break when necessary. Even small adjustments in the workplace, such as introducing ergonomic tools, can mean a world of difference for your employees, and you would be surprised at how productive a refreshed staff can be.

Remember that, as a manager, you must avoid these productivity traps, too. Your team looks up to you and will follow your lead. So, show them how to zone in on work, prioritise tasks, practise good work habits, and manage responsibilities. If you do so, you will have the most productive version of your team.

Woman sitting on a comfortable chair, working on a laptop.
Comfort plays an essential role in productivity.
Photo by Daria Nepriakhina on Unsplash

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