10 Habits That Influence Productivity
It’s great if the employees have a stable and clear work plan. However, habits formed over the years of labor can imperceptibly undermine productivity. To notice a decrease in staff efficiency will allow time tracking with screenshots software. So what 10 habits prevent employees from working with full dedication? Here they are:
1. Smoking breaks
Each smoking break reduces concentration. It is a mistake to think that it helps to work faster and more productively. On the contrary, it only distracts and makes you think about the next break or puff. What really increases productivity is the refusal to smoke. Frequent and prolonged smoking breaks will be easily monitored by the personnel control program.
2. Coffee
Coffee helps concentration only in certain doses. For healthy people, a daily intake of about 400 mg (equivalent to four cups of ground coffee), such an amount of beverage is in fact acceptable. In this framework, coffee stimulates the brain, helps plan, concentrate and be considerate. If the dose is exceeded, the opposite effect is manifested: the person becomes irritable, anxious, more often distracted. In controlling the work of staff, one must take into account that excessive coffee consumption by employees negatively affects their productivity.
3. Favorite music
If to the control of the work of the personnel the manual does not approach rigidly, then it can allow listening to music while performing any tasks. However, it is worth bearing in mind, when a person listens to music, which he likes and knows dopamine is produced. The hormone increases excitement, rather than concentration. For work best suited classic or ambient. They create an effect of unobtrusive background noise, which helps to concentrate and be more attentive.
4. Excessive “reward”
In the control of the work of staff there are times when, after a difficult task, employees relax: the task was difficult and voluminous, took a lot of time – you need to make a good break. On the one hand, this is true. On the other hand, sometimes employees are fond of a break: they arrange a long tea party with a discussion of the latest news, and lunch together. And now a small award has turned into a day off in the middle of the week. In order to exclude in advance the excess of “remuneration”, set the framework: what it will be and how long it will last. This will help to avoid wasting time.
5. Study at work
Managers know that some employees at work write coursework and diplomas or simply raise the level of professional knowledge. This is especially easy to detect with time tracking with screenshots, when the analyst shows periods of continuous work with non-core programs and sites. But one should not allow learning to distract from the main work, even if it promotes professional growth. It is better when special time is allocated for it.
6. Inability to communicate remotely
For the work to be productive, the team must communicate. It’s another matter when the discussion turns into an extra discussion. This reduces productivity and damages performance.
7. Meetings
Although working meetings allow employees to exchange ideas, solutions and findings, they also kill time and productivity. As part of monitoring staff performance and improving efficiency, change the structure of meetings, increase their productivity, set the timeframe and put the agenda.
8. Multitasking
Work on everything in a row – only to reduce productivity. A lot of small tasks and assignments distract from the main business and interfere with concentration. It is better to rank the tasks from important to minor.
9. After-hours work
Time tracking with screenshots showed that one of the employees is sitting in the office until the night? Perhaps this is just an attempt to convince ourselves and colleagues that this increases productivity.
10. The fear of saying “no”
When an employee answers “yes” to any request for help, a feeling is created that he is extremely busy. This becomes clear when analyzing the data of “non-core” time in the automated system of monitoring the work of personnel. To refuse is difficult only at first. But it still has to be done to fulfill its duties, not strangers. It can offend, but the work tasks of a particular employee should be in his priority.
Author SlavyanaPosted on Categories Business management, Productivity, Project management, Time management & Time Tracking