{"id":35116,"date":"2019-08-07T13:28:56","date_gmt":"2019-08-07T17:28:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.andysowards.com\/blog\/?p=35116"},"modified":"2019-08-07T13:28:56","modified_gmt":"2019-08-07T17:28:56","slug":"whats-negatively-affecting-business-productivity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.andysowards.com\/blog\/2019\/whats-negatively-affecting-business-productivity\/","title":{"rendered":"What\u2019s Negatively Affecting Your Business Productivity?"},"content":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s important to focus on the positive things that you\u2019re doing for your business, such as your ideas, your staff, the progress you\u2019re making and so on. However, though it\u2019s less enjoyable to do so, you\u2019ll also want to take a look at your shortcomings. For example, what about your productivity? It\u2019s only when business owners stop to think about how they\u2019re working (and whether it\u2019s effective) that they realize things aren\u2019t quite as smooth as they realized. Below, we take a look through some of the more common factors affecting a company\u2019s productivity. If you\u2019re guilty of any of the following, then look at making some changes.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Wrong Office Space<\/h3>\n

Our surroundings have a huge impact on how well we\u2019re able to work, so it\u2019s something that you\u2019ll want to ensure is watertight, especially since it\u2019s something that is typically within your ability to control. There are a few key traits of productive offices. For example, they\u2019re usually pretty bright, and they\u2019re for sure not cramped. If your office is too dark, then look at changing the lighting, either by letting in more natural light, or by changing your artificial lighting. To handle the cramped issue, you can get rid of the stuff that you no longer need, or you can invest in additional off-site storage. Both of these things will make a subtle but powerful difference to your ability to work well.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Wasted Time<\/h3>\n

It\u2019s usually only when we take a look at how we\u2019re spending our time in the office do we realize that there\u2019s an issue. How much time you spend in the office is of no importance whatsoever; it\u2019s what you\u2019re doing when you\u2019re there that counts. There are some things that\u2019ll take up time — but not get you anywhere — more than others. For example, meetings. They were shown long ago to be an ineffective way to use staff time<\/a>, yet companies still have them. Find a better, quicker way of transmitting need to know information, and keep your team doing tasks that\u2019ll actually propel your business forward.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Outdated Setups<\/h3>\n

You can only work as effectively as your computers. We\u2019re in the digital age now! If all of your machines are too old, then it\u2019s likely that you\u2019re spending too much time simply waiting for things to load and the like. There are things you can do to speed up outdated hardware, but even if you look after your machines impeccably well, there\u2019ll still be an upper limit to how long you\u2019re able to keep them. One good idea is to operate a BYOD — Bring Your Own Device — policy in the office. Employees work better for various reasons on devices they\u2019ve chosen, understand, and know well. You\u2019ll need to put some money towards the cost of the device, of course.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Wrong Software<\/h3>\n

You\u2019ll already know that there\u2019s software for just about every task these days, which can help make a once complicated task all the more straightforward. To work effectively, then it\u2019s important that you\u2019re using software! But not just any software: it has to be the one that\u2019s right for your business. Because your needs will be different from those of another company, sometimes a generic piece of software just won\u2019t suffice. Instead, look at working with a custom software development company<\/a>, and get software that has been tailor-made with your company in mind. It might just be the liberation that your business needs to take productivity to the next level.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Long Hours<\/h3>\n

There\u2019s a belief that the longer hours an employee is working, the more they\u2019ll achieve. But this isn\u2019t the case. It turns out that humans aren\u2019t like robots; they can\u2019t just work and work and work, to the same high standard, all day. There\u2019s an upper limit of what they can do. And of course, this goes for you, too. As such, it\u2019s likely that insisting on a nine-hour workday does more harm than good, and it\u2019ll cost you more money, too. Instead, look in terms of tasks, rather than hours. An employee might be able to finish a task in five hours, at which point, there\u2019s no point in dragging it out so they can technically be at the office until a predetermined time. In any case, the more hours worked, the steeper the decline in quality will be. It should be about getting things done correctly.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"tired-employee-in-need-of-motivation-business-tips\"
\nSource: Pexels.com<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Unhappy Staff<\/h3>\n

And talking about your employees: you should want to make them happy. Now, you could say you should have this aim because, well, they\u2019re human beings, and deserve to be treated well (they\u2019re not your slaves..), but there\u2019s another reason too: it\u2019ll improve your company. Studies have shown that an unhappy workforce is much less productive than a happy and engaged<\/a> one. So make an effort to give things a boost. Some good ways to do it is to talk to everyone as an individual, and make sure that they\u2019re feeling happy and motivated. You can also ask their opinion about how they want to work — offering staff the chance to work from home has changed the fortunes of other companies, because employees generally work better there.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Non-Core Duties<\/h3>\n

There are many things you can do when you\u2019re at the office, but when we talk about productivity, we should really only discuss the jobs that will actively push your business forward. The other ones, such as marketing, accounting, cleaning and so on, need to be done, but they can\u2019t count towards your productivity. If you\u2019re wasting too much time on those non-core duties, then you\u2019re not using your time effectively. Instead, look at outsourcing<\/a> the tasks to a third-party company.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Lack of Comfort\u00a0<\/h3>\n

\"making-sure-your-employees-suc\"<\/a>
\nMaking Sure Your Employees Succeed<\/em><\/p>\n

Finally, make sure everyone\u2019s comfortable! You can\u2019t work for long periods if you\u2019re forever wanting to move around. Look at upgrading your chairs and desks, including a sit-stand desk, so that your employees can work properly. No-one things upgrading these things will make a big difference until they do it and see the improvements for themselves.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s important to focus on the positive things that you\u2019re doing for your business, such as your ideas, your staff, the progress you\u2019re making and so on. However, though it\u2019s<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":35117,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_bbp_topic_count":0,"_bbp_reply_count":0,"_bbp_total_topic_count":0,"_bbp_total_reply_count":0,"_bbp_voice_count":0,"_bbp_anonymous_reply_count":0,"_bbp_topic_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_reply_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_forum_subforum_count":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[109],"tags":[2126,5891,9451,311,9569,6048,5368,1520,3408,10303,602,1493,9766,10606,10605,9175,1136,5902,5413,227,5986,9868,1013,4189,115,10607,10608,8916,10609],"yoast_head":"\nWhat\u2019s Negatively Affecting Your Business Productivity?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"It\u2019s important to focus on the positive things that you\u2019re doing for your business, such as your ideas, your staff, the progress you\u2019re making and so on.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, 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