Focus on Productivity Not Hours
Distractions at work can lessen productive hours. By focusing on the goals and actual productivity can reduce stress and burnout associated with “putting in the hours.” This can actually save time and allow employees to work on other areas of their job or business such as planning, strategizing and improvements.
Goal
To improve employee output while reducing the stresses of burnout.
What is Focus on Productivity Not Hours?
Focusing on productivity is a management method more concerned with outcome and goal completion. By reducing the emphasis on hours, employees are freer to work in an environment that promotes support, creativity and problem solving. A focus on hours, on the other hand, leads employees to further distraction and less focus on tasks. Deadlines and tasks are more likely to keep focused as well as “train the brain” to do deep work that provides results.
How does Focusing on Productivity improve employee engagement and culture?
Engaged employees are generally happier and more productive. But having the right tools and focus on the tasks at hand will give employees the ability to perform well. Eliminating the stress of hours and providing the incentive of productivity will increase engagement as more goals and tasks are completed. It’s a virtuous circle of time management and incentives that allow the employee to engage with the work and colleagues as they, not only reduce stress, but also start to over-perform their tasks.
What are the benefits?
Reduce stress on employees
Incentivize workers to perform well
Incentivize workers to use their time efficiently
Improve workplace morale
Builds an overall health work culture
How do you Focus on Productivity in the workplace?
Like most workplace initiatives, it is important to get buy-in and provide a clear vision of the proposal. Work with managers on a plan. By focusing on productivity, and not hours, you are essentially asking managers and workers to change the mindset of years of conditioning. It is crucial that you clearly communicate the new way of thinking, why it works, why employees and managers will benefit and why this new mindset will help the bottom line.
Action
Create a Policy and Set Measurable Goals
Create a policy: Work with managers and other leaders to ensure realistic goals and expectations are set.
Communicate the policy: Make everyone aware of the policy so that questions can be answered and expectations understood.
Set manageable goals: Ensure goals are achievable so that productivity is increased.
Identify the MIT – Most Important Tasks: Prioritizing goals will help increase productivity by not focusing on the “wrong” things.
Encourage device-free time: Fewer distractions should be encouraged in order to make the hours count and increase the productivity.
Reference Material
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