These days we can wholeheartedly say that disruptive technologies have become so plentiful and widely accessible they practically erased the gap between established industry leaders and up-and-coming small-scale contenders. With the playing field leveled to that extent, maximizing human resources once again becomes one of the most reliable ways of outmaneuvering the competition and climbing on top of the ladder.
But, what we can do to set up the foundation that will help you build up that much-needed efficiency and leave competitors behind?
It all starts with high concentration. So, let us take a look at a couple of simple yet effective ways you and your employees can improve concentration at the workplace.
Split workloads into concrete assignments
People find very had concentrating on seemingly endless workloads. There are simply too few certain things for a brain to sink its teeth into. When it comes to the smaller, isolated, well-defined, and time-limited task, things couldn’t be more different. So, be sure that everyone in the company has an A-Z of all obligations at the start of each day. Of course, critical and more demanding tasks should take the highest priority so they can be performed when you and your employees are still well-rested and at the peak of the performance. Otherwise, these assignments will easily end up endlessly pushed back.
Set some time to rest and refocus
Another thing we should remember in this case is that humans simply aren’t capable of doing 8-hour shifts at the same level of productivity – at least if they don’t take occasional breaks to rest and refocus. In this case, we will try to address this problem with tried and true solutions like, for instance, the Pomodoro technique. Essentially, this strategy dictates that for 25 minutes of work, you take a short 5-minute break. After four cycles like this are finished, you should hit a pause button for about 20 to 30 minutes. This way, you will work with the time and not against it and effectively eliminate dangerous burnouts.
Introduce small workplace treats
Various treats, rewards, and other small incentives are an excellent way to keep your employees at the task at hand and help them fill in those breaks we have just mentioned above.
With what exactly you should reward them? The answer is whatever they find enjoyable. But, you should use this opportunity to add a couple of things that will actually help them stay fresh and productive. For instance, beverages like energy notropic drinks will give them much necessary boost for tasks ahead. Workout equipment can be used during longer breaks to get some good exercise and produce beneficial dopamine release.
Keep workplaces clean and organized
To put it simply, people have a very hard time staying 100% organized when they constantly need to take breaks to find important files, plow through the mountains of clutter and spend minutes looking for mundane items like simple pens. That is why every worker should be equipped with a spacious and clean workstation supplied with enough storage for important tools and documents. Also, you should try to enforce various workplace policies that will motivate your employees to keep their workstations organized. Good behaviors should be encouraged – harmful patterns cut in the root.
Provide a quiet and peaceful work environment
Although this can’t be applied to all persons in the business, a high level of concentration in most cases depends on a quiet and peaceful work environment. Of course, in the crowded offices of 2021, these standards are often hard to meet. But, in spite of these obstacles, you can make sure that workstations are removed from each other and, if possible, feature some sort of visual barrier. But, even if that is not possible you should make sure that all employees have access to high-quality headsets with good noise cancelation so they can shut the distractions off, rock their favorite tunes and enjoy the work.
Eliminate the environmental distractions
When we mention environmental distractions, we think about the things like extreme temperatures, sun glare, excessive humidity, and so on. If you want to help your workers to attain the highest level of concentration all these small but irritating obstacles need to be eliminated. Some of these interventions, like, for instance, the update of the HVAV system may prove to be more financially demanding than others. But, if you replace the obsolete equipment with more energy-efficient alternatives, all these investments will eventually recoup and even produce tangible long-term financial benefits.
We hope these few examples showed you what you can do to help your workers (and yourself for that matter) to reach a higher level of concentration at the workplace and thus set foundations for stronger efficiency and overall performance. Of course, all these suggestions are only the tip of the iceberg and you can always ask your employees for new and creative tips and strategies. But, they do make an excellent place to start.