A reporter asked me, "What's the best way to gauge employee productivity in a small business?" A: 1) Focus on results. Give people specific goals and projects, and evaluate whether they achieve the objective on time and within budget. 2) As you grow, don't oversee everyone yourself. Put other management levels in between you and workers. 3) Have employees submit a weekly activity report, so you can assess whether they have completed a reasonable amount of work that week. 4) Monitor their work. I had an employee who was supposedly working a 40-hour week, when I checked the phone company logs, it turned out he was working for another company on the side and only working 20 hours a week. Don't be blind and assume even your "star" employee is giving you his/her best. … [Read more...]
Research confirms IM is bad for productivity
http://interruptions.net/literature/Speier-ICIS97-p21-speier.pdf This is an academic paper, so you probably won't want to read the entire thing, but the results of the research have interesting implications for "organizational electronic mail systems that have been implemented to enhance productivity." I've always said that workers should disable the global alerts in Outlook that notify them every time a new message is received. Now this study confirms how bad desktop alerts are on concentration and productivity! The findings from this research suggest that instant notification features be disabled in order to avoid exacerbating the number of interruptions knowledge workers receive. Go to Tools, Options, Preferences tab, Email options, advanced email options, … [Read more...]
Why Should You Care About Productivity?
I've had several people email me in the last few days about the U.S. productivity figures released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics a few weeks ago. Great news. 3.2% increase in the first quarter. But not quite where we were in 2002-2003 with levels over 4%. One quarter in 2003 had over 8%! That's when we were all working like dogs, when everyone was afraid of losing their jobs, before employees screamed "enough"! But still it's absolutely amazing that we can sustain this level of productivity. Fundamentally, why should you care? Well, why does your organization care about productivity? In order to be successful, your organization must both make money and save money. To make money, it must find and keep customers. To save money, … [Read more...]
Can Daydreaming be Productive?
You’re staring out your office window…lost in thought about your upcoming dinner party…when you jerk back to reality: “Oops, where was I?” you think, as you look down once again at the report on your desk. You’ve been daydreaming. Daydreaming can be a real productivity bandit, especially when you’re supposed to be focusing on a higher-priority project. Excessive daydreaming can waste precious time that could be better spent on other things. But daydreaming isn’t always bad. There’s a difference between true daydreaming as the brain’s response to overload or boredom and thinking time that may lead to promising ideas. How do you ensure daydreaming time is productive time? Don’t use daydreaming to procrastinate. Daydreaming can be a good tool for transitioning to a … [Read more...]
What Saps Your Energy?
I’m doing some primary research on productive energy. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that fatigue and lack of energy affect more than 14 million people between the ages of 17-69. Nothing sounds more attractive to you than putting your heads down for a quick nap, and you sleepwalk through the day, fuzzyheaded and lethargic. People who lack energy can’t work on big projects at work or home without the drive or desire—the oomph—to be productive. Just think of all the wonderful business and personal goals people could accomplish if they just had the energy to get up and go! If this sounds like you, I’d like to hear from you! What saps YOUR energy? Fill in the blank..."I could be more productive if __________." … [Read more...]
Microsoft Interviews Laura Stack
MSFT: How many books have you written? [Laura Stack] Two published by Broadway Books, a division of Random House. The first was Leave the Office Earlier (2004), and the newest is Find More Time. MSFT: Why did you write “Find More Time” and how will it help people? [Laura Stack] My readers asked me for it. After reading my first book on workplace productivity, they said, "Okay, now that I'm more productive in the office and getting out of work on time, now what? How can I be more productive on my 'second shift' at home?" MSFT: Is it complementary to “Leave the Office Earlier?” [Laura Stack] Yes, it's the next step. This book picks up where Leave the Office Earlier leaves off. Now that you’re more productive during your workday, this complementary book teaches you how to get … [Read more...]
Using Technology to Stay Connected While Traveling or at Home
As a general tip, use your down time productively while traveling, especially on planes. Most travelers waste hours of productive time on the airplane sleeping, watching movies, or listening to music. You, however, are going to work. Unless you’re exhausted and need to take a nap, take advantage of the uninterrupted time and get some work done. The more you get done while you’re traveling, the more time you’ll have available to be with your family you return. Before you leave, do some planning and determine what you can complete while you’re away from home. Read business journals and trade magazines, answer emails, write thank-you letters, complete routine paperwork, review large reports and board materials, or do project and advance planning. If you feel good about what you’ve … [Read more...]
Ten Ways to Find More Time for Your Life
“Where does the time go?” you lament. “I just need to find more time!” Here are some ideas to get you started on your quest: 1. Reduce waiting time. If your doctor or meetings always run late, plan ahead. Make good use of this time and carry note cards, bills, and magazines in your tote. 2. Limit your television watching. Reduce the amount of time you spend each day. Sensible limits may relieve any guilt you may feel after overindulging in television time, while freeing up time for more worthwhile pursuits. Or perhaps tape your shows and skip the commercials. 3. Say no to yourself. If you’re not excited about attending a social function, then don’t go! That way, you’ll have time to relax. … [Read more...]
Employee Obesity and Productivity
I just read a white paper by Leade Health called "Employee Obesity is Number One Factor in Productivity Loss." The organization is of course trying to get businesses to sign up for its "health coaching" program for weight management, which I'm sure has merit, BUT...is obesity REALLY the number one factor in productivity loss? I mean, come on! More than useless meetings? Hundreds of emails every day? Co-workers "dropping in" to chat? Surfing the Net and doing personal business? Those things affect all of us, regardless of our shape and size. The paper cites research that a Body Mass Index (BMI) at risk (>27) yields an average productivity loss of 5.79 hours per week in absenteeism, disability costs, and worker productivity, which is even higher than productivity loss related to … [Read more...]
Leave Early Fast Company blog
Keith Hammonds posted a comment on the Fast Company magazine blog: "Are you still in the office? In New York, it's nearly 6 pm on the eve of a holiday weekend. What are you doing there? (What am I?) What's keeping you from going home? Right now? Do you really have so much work that has to get done, or did you spend too much time in useless meetings, or responding to needless emails? Or, you know, checking the stats for your Roto league? I got a note from the PR rep for someone named Laura Stack, who calls herself "The Productivity Pro." Stack apparently "has declared June 2nd as National Leave the Office Earlier Day. This national holiday encourages workers to eliminate time wasting behaviors and improve productivity habits. With better behaviors, workers can leave the office … [Read more...]
