Introduction to Office Productivity
Office Productivity has many benefits, from helping you stand out in the crowd to effectively manage your time. In other words, productivity is the one thing that can spell success or failure for an organization. This means that an organization that is home to non-productive employees may be headed to failure in the shortest possible manner. Understanding the importance of productivity in your organization can go a long way as it can help you improve your productivity and encourage your colleagues to do the same, thereby improving the overall working environment of the company, resulting in better growth and development. Productivity can impact important aspects of the organization and affect them in multiple ways. Some of them are as follows:
Office Productivity Tips
1. Low office productivity can directly impact the profit levels of a company
Poor or low productivity can have disastrous consequences on the growth of a company. Low office productivity will automatically result in low profits, and in a world where success is counted in terms of financial gains, almost no company can afford the financial implications caused by slacking. Employees who cannot contribute to the growth of an organisation in an effective manner will soon become a burden to an organisation rather than a resource. Also, if employees do not perform their tasks in an effective fashion, they quickly affect the company’s overall financial gains negatively. On the other hand, if employees are productive and hard-working, they can help take your business to the next level of growth and development. Therefore, the best way a company can boost their growth is by removing unproductive workers and hiring productive and industrious workers.
2. Low productivity affects the overall morale of the company
Without a doubt, low office productivity affects the overall morale of the company. For example, if some employees are productive and hard-working, seeing others who do not reflect the same enthusiasm might lower their morales as well. This affects your company’s overall morale and mood, thereby distracting even the most productive of employees. Low morale affects the company’s overall productivity, thereby creating a cycle that would be difficult to break. That is why it is important that companies help employees improve their office productivity, as this can contribute to better growth and lower the stress levels faced by the employees.
3. Good productivity helps companies to meet their goals in an effective manner
Productive employees are able to meet their goals and deadlines in an effective manner. This, in turn, helps companies to meet their goals and run things in a smooth manner. When office productivity is affected, companies may lose important deals and fail to meet contractual obligations, which can even affect the prestige of the company in the eyes of clients and customers. The importance of public image is extremely important, especially for companies in customer relationships, such as retail outlets and banks. When companies meet their deadlines, they win the favour of their customers and clients and get an opportunity to reap bonuses and profits.
4. Good productivity can help you meet and increase brand loyalty in a successful fashion
Customers are the basis on which brands can grow and develop to the next stage. When you meet the expectations of the customers on a regular basis, it will help you empower and strengthen your brand loyalty. Bad publicity, especially by existing customers, especially due to bad employee management, can affect your company and even lead to its collapse. Employees must realise that they are the face of their company, and their relationships with the customers/clients affect the company’s overall image. When companies fail to meet the expectations of the customers, they will begin looking at other brands to fulfil their needs and desires. Only a good production team can help brands meet the consumers’ expectations and even surpass them.
All this means that companies and brands must focus a lot of their attention and resources on employing a productive team and ensuring that this productivity is maintained at all times. In addition, office productivity is directly dependent on the manner in which employees manage their time. There are two ways in which employees can improve productivity; they can either increase the number of hours that they work or work in a smarter manner. Employees need not work for longer hours; they can just work smarter so that they can remain productive without putting in the extra hours. Here are some strategies that can help you maintain a high level of office productivity at your workplace:
5. Learn to track the amount of time you are spending on various tasks
When you go to your workplace, there will a number of tasks that you will be expected to do within a period of seven to eight hours. Many people feel that they are very good at gauging the amount of time that they would require for certain tasks. But much research suggests that only 17 per cent of people can effectively estimate the amount of time needed for a particular task. That is why it is a good idea to make a list of the task and use apps that can tell you how much time each task, like social media, email, word processing, etc., effectively manages time. Some apps that can help include Toggl, ManicTime and Rescue Time.
6. Take regular breaks during your work hours
While this might seem counterintuitive to many, taking regular breaks enhances creativity and also improves concentration. According to research, taking short breaks while performing long and complicated tasks can help you achieve your goals faster and more effectively. So take regular breaks as this will help you effectively maintain optimum production levels. Exercises are a good way to take a break from your hectic work schedules, and even a lot of research says that taking an exercise break is good for your body and spirit. Take time out for walks from your workplace if possible, as this will help you clear your head and boost your creative cells as well.
7. Impose deadlines for yourself
Unwanted and unnecessary stress might not be good for your productivity levels, but small amounts of self-imposed stress might be good as it will help you concentrate and perform tasks in a better manner. It is a good idea to understand the tasks that you have to perform and give a deadline to achieve them as it will help you boost your productivity. When there is the added pressure of the clock, you will be able to perform tasks in a faster manner.
8. Follow the two-minute rule
According to Steve Olenski, implementing the two-minute rule can help employees perform a lot of tasks in a limited period of time. So if employees can see tasks or actions that they can perform in a period of two minutes or less, they should do that immediately as this will save them a lot of time later. Implementing such strategies can help employees remain productive at their workplace. In addition, when employees successfully perform the concerned tasks, it can take away a lot of stress and worry.
9. Do not waste your time in unwanted meetings
Unimportant meetings can prove to be more unproductive than productive for employees. While some meetings are important as it helps employees to gather and distribute the workloads, it must not affect the office productivity levels of a company. according to Atlasssian, an average office-goer spends nearly 31 hours a month in unproductive meetings. Therefore, the management of a company must learn to draw a line between meetings that are needed and meetings that are a waste of time. If the goals of a meeting can be achieved through email, phones or web-based meeting, it is better to achieve the goals through them rather than investing in a physical meeting.
10. Quit multitasking as it can decrease productive levels
Multitasking is not always a good idea as it can result in wastage of both time and office productivity. When you commit to multiple tasks, it leads to a loss of focus and can also raise your stress levels. It is always better to focus on one task and perform that perfectly rather than do multiple tasks with average results. In addition, the side effects of multitasking can take on the life and livelihood of the employees. When their health is comprised, brands and business take a massive hit. According to a study conducted by Basex, businesses lose $650 billion a year related to the lack of job performance and creativity due to distractions. That is why concentrating on a single task is much more important and beneficial.
11. Take advantage of your time to work
If you know how to manage your time, a lot of things will automatically fall into place. For example, if you have a long commute to work, you can use that time to send mails, create daily lists, tasks, or brainstorm new ideas. This will help you save time in an effective fashion and improve your productivity at work; you will have created time to perform other tasks and duties.
12. Give up on your illusion of perfection
Achieving perfection in any manner is an odd notion. This is because when we talk about perfection, we are setting limits to human expectations and desires. Perfection means that people have reached a limit and that they could not do anything better. In this sense, the notion that a human being can achieve perfection is therefore ridiculous. That is why individuals must try to perform tasks to the best of their ability rather than trying to make them perfect. Excellence in tasks is what is going to take employees to the next stage of growth rather than a focus on perfection.
13. Learn to be proactive rather than reactive
Sometimes smartphones can prove to be more of a distraction rather than a source of help. While experts can’t tell us exactly how smartphones break our focus and concentration, new studies from Florida State University sheds more light on the matter. It says that mobile notifications can break our concentration even if we do not pick up our phone to respond to them immediately. When we hear that a text has come in, it breaks our attention flow, and till the time that we have not seen the message, our minds are subconsciously thinking about it. Therefore, employees must learn to avoid such distractions and learn how to set aside time to reply to their emails and messages without it affecting their productive levels at work.
14. Work in a cycle of 90 minutes
Breaks are an integral part of any work schedule. If the mind is continuously absorbed in word, it can have damaging effects on both the mind and the soul. Taking a short break after 30-45 minutes will help you regain your creativity in an effective fashion. When you fail to take a break, it can result in unwanted stress and fatigue.
15. Listen to music
Music is a great tool and can help you settle into a work routine. Low volume music can also help drown the sounds in the office that can otherwise prove distracting. Create a playlist that will help you improve your office productivity and tune into it when you feel your production levels are lowering. Try listening to classical music as that will boost your creativity and improve your IQ level. Two birds with one stone, I say!
16. Leave your desk for lunch
Sitting in one place for more than seven hours can have adverse health risks. That is why it is important to move around, and it is a good idea to have your lunch away from your work desk. This will help your mind relax, so have your lunch and return to your workstation with renewed enthusiasm.
There are many ways in which you can boost your office productivity. By following any of the strategies above or experimenting with such ideas, you can become extremely productive and efficient at your work and take your career to the next stage as well.
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