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There are so many possible ways for employees to become distracted on the job. Management has the responsibility to reduce or eliminate these distractions to increase the bottom line and overall productivity.

4 Common Workplace Distractions

  1. Digital distractions. Probably the biggest epidemic facing businesses today is the pull of constant information on the internet. Many companies have strict No Internet policies to attempt to curb this distraction and encourage their team to be more effective. However, some studies have shown that well timed internet breaks can actually increase an individual’s productivity. Establish rules for your team to follow and enforce them. Allow for internet breaks only a couple times of day. The hope is that this will curb inappropriate internet use in the office.
  2. Unnecessary meetings. Some people really love meetings but too many meetings can cause the team to become distracted easily and not focus on the tasks they need to finish. Establish rules in your office for meetings. Make sure that the conversation doesn’t get off track easily. Also, don’t wait for stragglers to arrive. If someone is late to a meeting they will simply miss the beginning and will have to catch up on their own. This will encourage people to show up on time as long as they are not being accommodated for their poor behavior.
  3. Cluttered desks. A messy desk can cause individuals to be unable to find the work they need to do when they need to do it. This can lead to missed deadlines or distractions when something else is discovered under the piles. Create a clean desk program and offer an organizational structure to help you team keep everything in order and be able to keep up with their work.
  4. Reactionary emails. The ping of an incoming email can often stop hard working employees in their tracks. There is a pervasive need in our culture for people to immediately read and respond to any incoming communication. Instead, encourage everyone in your office to create an email schedule. They can only check emails during this time frame and are able to thoroughly think through the communication and respond accordingly.

Are you looking for more ways to reduce distractions in your workplace?
Contact Anserteam Workforce Solutions, experienced North American staffing solution to learn more!