Are cellphones the real productivity killers?

Productivity is key to a successful business but with so many outlets to distract staff how can you make sure they stay on task?

Great examples of staff slacking off, from a recent study, include an employee blowing bubbles in cold weather to see if they would freeze and break, an employee smuggling her pet bird to work and an employee laying under boxes to scare people.

A US study of more than 2,000 hiring managers and HR professionals and more than 3,000 employees identified the biggest productivity killers in the office.

And first place goes to … the cellphone. When asked what workplace disruptions they saw in the workplace 50 per cent of employers said mobile phones. And over the course of a typical workday 24 per cent of employees said they spent at least one hour a day on personal calls, emails or texts. That’s 12.5 per cent of the work day gone!

Runner up is gossip, followed closely by the internet and social media. Searching the internet for non-work related activity for at least an hour a day was reported by 21 per cent of those surveyed. However, in a recent survey conducted by Microsoft, 46 per cent of workers said that using social media tools increased their productivity. And research from the University of California found occasional peeks on sites such as Facebook can act as a mood booster.

So maybe the real question isn’t how they’re doing it, it’s why they’re doing it. Workers who are engaged in their work are more productive, and less likely to look for distractions. Leaders and managers are very influential over employee engagement. Making sure an employee has clear expectations, feels cared for, knows their opinion counts and has opportunities to improve and advance professionally are all important factors.

HRIS software works within the company structure to identify training needs and performance measures to ensure your workers have a satisfying, productive workday.