Сomputers and Internet greatly facilitate the work of millions of employees all over the world, and your company is no exception. However, they also bring in a lot of distractions that can eliminate the positive effects and pose a serious threat to employee productivity, aside from other factors. This is what worries employers all over the world and this is what they’re seeking a solution for.
Before you decide what to do about all the things that shift your employees’ focus from their duties to something else, it is important that you “know your enemies”. In other words, let’s see what are the major distractions at the workplace?
Сommon “productivity killers”
Personal issues
Naturally, this is and will always be the primary issue. Your employees have families they need to care about, kids who get sick, they face divorces, household conflicts, financial issues etc. But it is important to strike a balance between too much interfering and total negligence in this case.
Portable devices
Your employees no longer use their phones for calling only. They send text messages, play games, watch videos, use various apps and social networks.
Social networks
It’s hard to find a person without a profile in at least one of the social networks, therefore, they act as a very strong distraction, making employees want to peep in and check their profile every now and then. These short breaks, if taken too frequently, can cost a lot in terms of productivity, because every time a worker gets back to the task, he/she needs some time to find where he/she stopped.
Office atmosphere
Some offices, with the modern equipment, are less conducive for productivity than a city park. Having many people talking and moving around, numerous phones ringing incessantly and hearing outside noise often results in employees having difficulties with concentration. They may prefer working from home or working late hours to get some silence.
Tips to Boost Productivity
The first thing you need to understand and accept is that distractions are inevitable. You cannot eliminate all of them, and don’t need to. Sometimes, they can even be useful.
Another thing you need to realize – productivity isn’t limitless and you cannot work immensely on boosting it. Moreover, employees are human beings, not robots, and it’s impossible to make them work productively each minute of their working hours.
Therefore, the best idea would be focusing on helping employees beсome more efficient instead of exercising strict control over the distractions described above.
1. Use the employee productivity software
By installing employee productivity software like Yaware.TimeTracker you will be able to track attendance and activities on their computers. You’ll know what time each worker arrives and leaves the office, and be able to view schedule violators in a few clicks. Time tracking software will also help stop social networks abuse by collecting the data on all websites and apps used along with the duration. This can be an excellent alternative to blocking access to non-work related resources altogether. Instead, you can allow their use for a limited time daily and include it in the company policy. The software also tracks the number and duration of breaks throughout the day, and is capable of requesting for their reason.
The advantage of a time tracker software is that it virtually eliminates the need for physical control since it is automated. Other than that, it excludes fraud. Unlike timeclocks that anyone can swipe and employee in/out, it is practically impossible to deceive and all the data provided is accurate. Plus, Yaware.TimeTracker can estimate employee productivity based on the resources used, so you’ll be able to measure the progress objectively.
2. Create company policy on the use of mobile devices
While it’s impossible and not needed to forbid mobiles at the workplace, you can set the rules of their use and control how they are kept. It can be helpful to provide employees with corporate phones, which will contain only the necessary apps and connections.
3. Spur productivity with financial rewards system
Again, make sure employees know what rewards they are going to get. Even insignificant sums can act as strong incentives to work better. However, it is important that they are not the base of your productivity boosting strategy.
Conclusion
In order to succeed in the quest for higher productivity, you should act to motivate employees rather than make them work under the threat of a punishment. Anyway, to a great extent it depends on the person – so if you hire ambitious people who are willing to win and achieve more and more, it’s unlikely that eliminating distractions would be your primary concern.
Nevertheless, time tracking software would be helpful in increasing employee productivity in your company. You don’t need to make any commitments – use the free 14-day trial to check it out and then make your decision. Ready? Then, register your account and go ahead.
