Who doesn’t want their workforce to be productive? It’s pretty much a given, all business leaders want a happy, healthy and productive working environment. There are certain factors that can get in the way, reduce, or all together prevent productivity in the workplace. But on the other hand, there are activities and technology which can increase substantially increase productivity.
We took a look at some of the biggest productivity drivers and drainers in the workplace.
Productivity can be increased by flexible working,
1. 64% of global business leaders said flexible working had a positive impact on productivity – 2018 Condeco workplace survey
It seems meetings get a bad reputation,
2. Statistics show the average length of a meeting has increased by 10% in the last 15 years; the average duration of a meeting is now between 31 to 60 minutes. – How long should a meeting be?
3. A survey by University of Northern Carolina of over 182 senior managers, found 71% felt meetings are unproductive and inefficient. Maybe these managers should have downloaded the infographic “How to organize a successful meeting in 6 simple steps”
4. Office Team, a division of Robert Half International, said 45% of senior executives surveyed said the workforce would be more productive if meetings were banned at least one-day a week. Read How long should a meeting be for more insight into meeting management.
Technology is also driving productivity
5. Research by Apperian shows 23% of employees say mobile apps increase productivity. Bonus fact, did you know, in 2017, there were 269 billion apps downloaded, which equates to 33 apps for every man, women and child on the planet!
6. 87% of employees are more productive with the use of gamification apps, it’s also reported, 53% of technology stakeholders said by 2020, the use of gamification will be widespread.
7. In a recent survey on wearable technology, 49% of respondents believe wearable tech will improve efficiency.
8. Microsoft reports that 46% of employees have identified social tools as important factors that have contributed to their improved productivity at work.
9. 94% of businesses that utilise video conferencing say it increases productivity and Wainhouse Research said Businesses using VC see a 30% reduction in travel costs.
Although perhaps, some technology isn’t quite hitting the mark…
10. Statistics show we receive 300 emails per week, we then spend 2.5 hours reading and responding to those emails. Meaning we are spending 1.5 days a week just reading email.
11. 3 out of 4 employees in America believe employers don’t give them access to the latest technology to do their job efficiently – Staples
12. But we found in our 2019/20 Modern Research Report, “Taking advantage of new technology to drive productivity was a top priority in the coming years”.
However not giving your employees the right technology, can lead to disengagement.
13. In a Gallup “State of the American Workplace” report, research shows actively disengaged employees cost the U.S. $450 to $550 billion per year in lost productivity.
But on the other hand,
14. Highly engaged employees were much more likely to have above-average productivity, to the tune of 38%.
15. Employee happiness boosts productivity by about 12%.
16. And something as simple as effective communication improvements can boost productivity from 20-25%.
What about break times?
17. The top 10% of productive employees tend to work, on average, 52 minutes before they take a break.
18. Tired employees are less productive than their well-rested counterparts—amounting to $63 billion in lost productivity for American companies.
Maybe exercise is all that’s needed?
19. American Psychological Association reports employees who exercise before work are more productive.
20. Or maybe we just need a K9 friend around, research by Banfield shows pets in the workplace improve productivity, morale and personal workplace satisfaction. You might like to read “Can pet-friendly workplaces help improve employee engagement?”
The office environment and ethos can also play a part in productivity,
21. The damaging effect of Toxic Co-Workers is evident as 78% of employees said their commitment to the organization declined in the face of toxic behaviour.
Whereas the physical design of the workplace has a major effect.
22. 68% of employees in the USA complained lighting in the workplace is a productivity drainer.
23. Office temperature also plays a part in productivity, and studies have shown cold temperatures induce feelings of sadness and productivity levels drop.
24. In Condeco’s 2019/20 Modern Workplace Survey, 37% of global business leaders said improving productivity would be the great potential benefit when investing in the workplace of the future. Bonus stat, this number rises to 51% from our friends down under in Australia.
25. But maybe it’s all about the actual building, a study by Environmental Health Perspectives, found moving to a green building improves decision making performance by 8%.
However in in the summertime,
26. A study by Captive network showed productivity in the workplace dropped by 20% and maybe not surprisingly attendance also dropped by 19% during the summer.
And last, but certainly not least, to all your sports fans,
27. Research from the Global Outplacement Agency showed in the USA alone, during the 17 week league, fantasy football costs businesses over $14 billion in lost productivity.
