Are Your Employees Lacking Focus?

Are Your Employees Lacking Focus?

Spring has sprung – and it’s typical for people to lose focus on work when the days are longer, the sun is shining and the great outdoors is beckoning. But a lack of workplace focus can be problematic all year long. Regardless of the season, you need to know how to tackle it and nip it in the bud, before it poses a serious threat to your company’s profitability.

The Downside of Technology

There are countless benefits to technology as it helps people speed up processes and tasks and have the data they need right at their fingertips. But if you’re wondering how to help your employees focus, you might want to help them monitor the time they spend online, on non-work-related matters.

  • On average, employees who do the majority of their work on computers are distracted once every 10 ½ minutes. Twenty-three percent of these interruptions come from emails. One study revealed the average employee checks their mail 74 times in a single workday. But the biggest culprit – 44 percent of all work distractions – is people voluntarily changing from one task to another without finishing the original one first.
  • Make sure you’re using technology to your advantage. As computers automate an increasing number of functions, employees who are able to master new, complex skills quickly and perform consistently at high levels will be the most valuable to their organizations.

Where Does the Time Go?

Productivity undoubtedly takes a nosedive when workers are constantly interrupted, but there can be other collateral damage as well. People tend to work faster and faster in order to compensate for lost time – and this leads to increased levels of stress and frustration.

  • Meetings continue to devour 15 percent or more of company time. And the trendier alternative – group chats – can be even worse. Combine this with employees checking their mail up to nine times an hour and you can easily see why workplace focus is lacking.

A Culture of Constant Interruption

The pressure to always be available – in meetings and open offices, on email and group chats and 24/7 via text – can create a culture of constant interruption. Here are some tips for reeling it in and setting some necessary boundaries:

  • Set a maximum quota time for meetings. Encourage leaders to develop and stick to efficient agendas.
  • Have employees block out time on their schedules to focus on specific high-priority tasks. During this time, no interruptions are allowed, unless it’s a true emergency. Emails, phone calls and other potential blips must be moved to a back burner.
  • Introduce asynchronous communication. This means sending messages without the expectation of an immediate response. Make it clear that delayed responses are not only acceptable, but preferable for non-urgent matters. You’ll soon find that much more work, especially deep-thought projects, gets done overall.

Are you looking for additional ways to help your employees focus?

The workforce experts at Frontline Source Group can help you tackle this and other human capital challenges – from sourcing, recruiting and hiring through employee development, training and retention. We believe in building strong client partnerships based on individualized service to meet your unique needs. To get in touch with our staffing service in Houston, TX, click here. Contact us to find the branch nearest to you or read our related posts to learn more!

Tagged Blog
Published on May 14, 2019