For every business, employee productivity is an essential ingredient for continuity. However, not many businesses realize this dream no matter how hard they try to drive their employees and demand more from them. In the recent years, work-life balance has become a major topic as more companies awake to the awareness that a relaxed work environment is a recipe for proper productivity. Overworked employees can quickly turn into overwhelmed and sidetracked workers and this can largely contribute to low performance and productivity levels.
Major causes of employee distraction
24/7 work engagement and information workload are the two major culprits when it comes to employee distraction and overwhelm. Employees working under these conditions normally end up with low work engagement and reduced productivity as time goes by. Think of this way, your employees are like a car engine. The heavier the load the engine carries, the higher the gear you require to move it. If driven for long, the more it wears out. The harder employees are pushed to produce (call it overworking), the more overwhelmed they become and the more their productivity dwindles. Many companies are making this mistake in a bid to save on operation costs but this move is totally counterproductive as it only results in reduced profitability. The businesses therefore save money on operations but lose it when it comes to productivity. To deal with this problem, businesses need to take a purposeful approach with the aim of helping their employees recognize the triggers that leave them overwhelmed and manage them effectively. Here are some helpful approaches that employees can adopt to help their employees stay focused and on time.
Avoid multitasking and train your employees on attention management
Despite the hype that has been heaped on the benefits of multitasking, the reality has over the years revealed that the approach does not work. Everyone needs concentration in order to accomplish a task effectively and this isn’t an exception when it comes to the workplace. Energy is easily focused when one’s attention is directed towards a certain task. As an employer, it is good to allow your employees to concentrate on fewer tasks especially those in which they are good at. In addition, your employees need proper attention management training and this should be incorporated into your annual reviews and regular training sessions. If your employees are to handle high-level tasks, then there is need for them to focus and avoid distracting tasks that might not be very important for the business. This will help them absorb the new information with ease and therefore apply is effectively for more productivity.
Come up with healthy work schedules
In my previous article, I noted that there is a need for employers to work hand in hand with their employees so as to come up with the best work schedules based on their discipline levels. Friendly work schedules can easily encourage employee loyalty, morale and productivity while at the same time saving the company money. Adopting workplace flexibility plan has many pros than cons. It can easily help prevent your employees from becoming overwhelmed therefore increasing productivity and improving workers’ health. With workplace flexibility helping lower your costs as an employer and increase productivity, your business will definitely benefit. It is always easy to have your employees fulfill their tasks without them feeling harassed and distracted. Always remember, the slightest feeling of mental harassment will translate into lack of focus which could lead to poor management of time and task at hand.
Work without play makes the work environment dull
Even donkeys, the beasts of burden cannot perform effectively if they work without a break. Your employees need breaks in-between tasks so as to engage in other things such as exercises or the social media. You should encourage your employees to avoid self-imposed distractions during the designated work hours but at the same time allow them reasonable breaks to engage in other activities such as socialization and physical exercises. Although this might sound counter-productive, research has shown that companies that encourage longer lunch breaks or assign time for activities that are not work related always register better productivity and friendly work environments. Allowing your employees to unwind is always rewarding.
Work-life balance goes hand-in-hand with technical skills
As you spend time and resources for the development of your employees’ technical skills, it is also very important to concentrate in helping these same employees know how to manage their energy and attention as a part of professional and personal growth. Work-life balance is very important when it comes to employee productivity and concentration. Being busy at work and having clear concentration on high priority tasks can help increase resilience especially when employees are faced with stress, foster creativity, provide clarity when dealing with intricate situations and improve emotional regulation. It is therefore important for employers to treat their employees’ attention as a precious resource and this can only happen if clear priorities are instituted, attention-management skills developed and workplace flexibility nurtured. Doing so will help reduce state of distraction and overwhelm on employees thus helping them to thrive. In so doing, each one will be more productive and your business will benefit.
