3 ways your employees are harming their own productivity

Loss of productivity is a major issue in organisations across the globe – and the root of the problem often lies in how your employees are going about their day-to-day work.

Usually all that is required is some simple tweaking to your staff's interactions in the office. Here are three productivity killers you should watch out for.

1. Not knowing how much work they can handle

Committed and willing workers are what drive a business's growth – but is it possible for an employee to be too eager?

Although you may appreciate an employee who appears ready to take on whatever work you push in their direction, be wary of overloading them and burning them out. Only assign workers with the workload they are capable of handling – any more than that and they will fail to complete the tasks, lose focus and ultimately suffer from a loss of productivity.

You should also encourage employees to speak up if they genuinely feel they are being asked to do more work than they can handle.

2. Unintentional distraction

Many organisations are switching to open-plan office layouts to enhance collaboration and communication, but this can come with the downside of poorer productivity.

While you should encourage your employees to share ideas and information where necessary, remind them that some may prefer working in peace and quiet at times. During periods of peak activity, limit communication to matters pertaining solely to work.

3. Not keeping a lid on meetings and emails

Regular meetings and emails are essential to keeping everyone on the same page and facilitating your business's operations, but they can harm productivity if not managed well.

Set a strict timeframe for meetings and stick to them, and utilise the many email productivity solutions available to help your employees organise and manage their communications.