Improving Productivity in the Workplace:
How well is your workplace working?
A recent study, The Next 250K, released by research company Leesman, has highlighted that Organisations are not getting what they should from their workplaces. Only just over half of those surveyed agreed that their workplace actually supported productivity.
The report highlighted that a workplace that fails to support a basic working day, can only obstruct individuals’ and the teams “ability to proactively contribute to corporate goals”.
Seems quite obvious when you put it like that, but of the 250, 000 employees surveyed globally, from over 2000 workplaces, a mere 57% agreed their workplace enabled them to work productively.
So – does your workplace work for you and your employees?
Here are some things to consider which might help you decide whether you’re getting the best from your working environment;
Productivity
Perception of personal productivity is key - to ignore this is to undermine perception of all work.
How productive do your employees feel? How are they encouraged to assess their own productivity?
Millennials
Under 25’s represented just 4.4% of workplaces surveyed by the report, and it also highlighted that attention should be directed to the 56% of the workplace population aged between 35-54.
How well do you know your employee demographics? How is your workplace geared up to suit the majority of your workplace?
How can you provide alternative solutions for those that feel left out of the majority?
Novelty
Shiny and new is all very well but it’s important to remember new is no guarantee of high performance! Individuals needs should be at the heart of the solution.
When considering your workplace, a complete re-vamp might not be the solution especially if it still doesn’t address employee’s requirements.
When considering work space changes are you aiming for a look you quite fancy as opposed to tackling individual employee needs? Have you asked them what they need? It may be a very long way from, and a lot cheaper, than a complete over-haul.
Demonising Open-plan
58% of survey respondents worked in a ‘open-plan’ environment. Open-plan is often demonised as failing to provide a productive working landscape, but there are benefits to both open-plan and cellular office spaces.
What is your current set up? Does it foster an open and inviting climate whilst offering quiet spots for those who may need it?
Behaviours
Matching work behaviour to infrastructure is important. With so many businesses trying to encapsulate a work anywhere and anytime approach it is important to remember it’s not just about supporting remote working.
Perhaps also consider an activity based approach over a territorial approach. Does your working environment recognise and segment work by task and find workspaces that suits the current task?
Taking the above into consideration, what simple changes could you make to your work environment to maximise employee’s productivity?
For the full The Next 250K report visit http://www.leesmanindex.com/250k/
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