Elon Musk’s leaked productivity memo to his staff, including walking out of meetings that waste their time, shows just how important it is to protect our time when we’re at work.
In fact, a new report out in the UK claims that 60% of businesses have productivity issues.
The research, commissioned by office products specialist Fellowes, says that a quarter of office workers waste up to two hours each day being unproductive, leading to a staggering 40 million lost working hours each year.
According to the Productivity in the UK 2018 study, a quarter of office workers in the UK agree with Mr Musk’s productivity ethos, claiming they’d be more productive if they had to attend less meetings.
The study finds that over a third (38%) of office workers feel their employers aren’t doing enough to help their productivity, while nearly half (40%) go as far to say that they’re more productive than their boss.
Darryl Brunt, a director at Fellowes says: “It’s clear that employers need to do more to help get the best from their workforce.
“One in five people believe they would be more productive if they had a better office environment and we believe that to unlock people’s productivity, employees must have the right equipment as well as feeling valued and supported in their workplace.”
Here are some of Fellowes’ top tips to help your productivity soar:
- Prepare to be productive by setting up a comfortable desk and workspace. Bad working habits when using computers, laptops and tablets are a major cause of distraction. Research shows that moving our body is good for the mind, so being less sedentary in the office makes sense for our productivity levels. Try to incorporate back, foot or wrist supports and look at integrating a sit stand work station to help you get more active in the office.
- Get your files in order. Knowing exactly where your documents are frees up time and helps you be more productive. Make sure you have a record management system in place for any hard copies and ensure you use a shredder to safely and confidentially dispose of any documents, meaning a tidy desk drawer.
- Talk to your team. Ensure you understand the tools your team needs to succeed. We’ve all been stuck waiting for a slow printer or shredder. Reliable, fast and efficient business machines are essential for optimising productivity in the workplace.
Fellowes aims to help workers thrive thanks to over 100 years of experience in helping businesses to work better.