Are you (or your team) as productive as you would like to be in your workplace? What do you do to help your business increase its productivity? We have examined various studies on productivity. Read on to see the (sometimes surprising) results that you can use straight away to make a difference at the very heart of your organisation.
1. Avoid Multitasking
Multitasking can give you the delusion of being productive but jumping from one task to another saps your brainpower and actually makes you less productive. Also, multitasking often leads to an increase in stress and impulsiveness. Focus on one activity at a time and give yourself regular breaks to stay on course!
According to studies from the Universities of California, McGill et San Diego
2. Minimise colleague interruptions.
Too many interruptions from your colleagues damages your productivity. These are just as prevalent online as offline.
Set rules with your colleagues so that they know when not to distract you. Bear in mind that you don’t have to reply to every message whenever you get a notification!
Source : Luxafor
3. Take more breaks
Taking breaks every hour or every two hours makes you more productive. After having concentrated on a task for a certain amount of time, the brain swells under the effect of constant stimulation.
A break allows you to regain your energy, stimulate creativity and increase the quality of your work. Integrate light physical movement into your breaks to increase the benefits.
According to studies from Rhode Island College et The University of Illnois.
4. Allow Remote-working
In an office space, a worker is interrupted approximately 150 times per day whilst someone working remotely is only faced with 40-50 daily distractions.
The average productivity gains linked to working remotely are between 5% and 30% on average.
Beyond productivity, the businesses that offer it have noticed an increase in motivation amongst employees, less absences and a decrease in employee turnover.
According to studies from DGE, Obergo, Greenworking
5. Maintain the temperature in the workplace.
Did you know that the productivity of your employees is at its peak at around 22°C and that it falls by an average of 2% above these temperatures?
It cannot be easy to regulate the thermostat in a way that makes everyone happy in the office. However, pay attention to the feeling amongst employees and to how much ventilation there is.
According to studies from the Helsinki University of Technology, Bercheley National Technology, AHMM
6. Boost natural light.
Bad lighting can affect your employees’ mood as well as their ability to concentrate.
Natural light is the most effective in stimulating productivity and reducing depression.
If it is not possible to have a large amount of natural light, use lighting equipment with a cooler light as this type of light helps productivity.
According to studies from the Lighting Research Center, Journal of Circadian Rhythm
7. Take time to exercise.
We are not talking about starting a full physical transformation here (although that would not be a bad thing).
Just try to take time to walk and move around a bit at least once a day.
Doing exercise can help you to be more productive because it improves your presence of mind, your blood circulation and cardiovascular health. You will be less anxious and therefore more focused.
According to studies from Harvard Health, American Council on Exercise
8. Look at pictures of cute animals.
It is a bit crazy and you may not believe us, but looking at photos of cute animals increases your attention span.
The positive feelings unleashed by these types of photos encourages caring behaviour and improves your ability to process information.
Therefore, don’t underestimate the power of Kawaii (cuteness) as they say in Japan where the study was carried out.
According to a study from Hiroshima University
Conclusion: Thanks to all these studies, you have now got all the keys to increase the productivity of your teams. A project management software also allows you to boost both the performances and the collaboration within your teams.
