If you start browsing the Web, you’ll come across various definitions of productivity. According to Whatis.com productivity is “the assessment of efficiency of a worker or a team.” Others think about productivity in terms of someone’s ability to deliver valuable work in a defined period.
Whatever definition of productivity business leaders may consider valid, the fact is that every one of them wants to manage highly productive and successful teams. Knowing that the workplace has changed irreversibly over the past two years, numerous managers face various challenges, striving to keep their employees productive wherever they may choose to work.
Here are some interesting facts about productivity that may help you implement new strategies or advanced tools like employee tracking systems to boost your team efficiency.
Employees Are More Productive While Working from Home
The number of employees saying that they’re more productive while working from home has increased four times. They name several reasons for their boosted performance.
- They don’t have to deal with noise or other office-related distractions
- They don’t have to waste time commuting to the office and back.
- Work from home is the optimal solution for introverts
The fact is that crowded and noisy offices can distract employees from doing meaningful work that requires sharp focus. Statistics show that when distracted, employees need 23 minutes to regain their focus and get back on track with their work. This is an issue they don’t have to face when working from home.
Other employees with prominent introvert personalities claim that they get more work done from the comfort of their home because they don’t feel the pressure of having to socialize with co-workers.
Besides, the lack of distractions and much-desired solitude, most employees prefer working from home because they don’t have to waste time being stuck in traffic jams on their way to or from work. This way, they can deliver more quality work, feeling more relaxed and energized.
Work From Home Employees are Happier and Healthier
If you’re still on the fence about letting your employees work from home even once a month, here’s the fact that may make this decision much easier. Numbers show that employees who have an opportunity to work from home at least once a month are 24% more satisfied with their work.
In the age of the Great Resignation, employee satisfaction plays an important role in keeping your retention rates high. Allowing employees to work from home one day a month is a small step you can take towards increased productivity and boosted employee satisfaction.
Employees who have the chance to work from home are not only happier, they are healthier too as the numbers show. Employees who work remotely are 52% less likely to take sick leave.
Average Worker Gets Distracted Every 3 Minutes
If you think that distractions at the workplace are rare and uncommon, you’re wrong. Experts from the University of California in Irvin find that employees’ workflow gets disrupted every 3 minutes.
Knowing that an employee needs 23 minutes to regain their attention, means that they spend 3 productive minutes out of every 26 minutes spent in the office. These numbers get more intimidating paired with another research results stating that office workers spend less than three hours being productive each day.
This means that employees waste more than 5 hours of their workday. The same study reveals that companies tend to lose about $2 billion every year because their employees tend to spend 32% of their time at work on Facebook.
Final Words
These numbers about employee productivity may be disheartening. But you can take effective steps to tackle productivity issues. If you focus more on employee well-being, embracing the flexibility and autonomy that hybrid work offers, you’ll contribute to employee satisfaction.
Furthermore efficient productivity and time tracking software can give you a clearer picture of how your employees spend their time at work. This data will help you tackle distractions, showing your team how to manage their time better and become more productive.