the state or quality of being productive. “the long-term productivity of land” the effectiveness of productive effort, especially in industry, as measured in terms of the rate of output per unit of input.
THE ISSUE
The word “productivity” is thrown around in various settings both personally and professionally, but many don’t seem to make the connection to their day-to-day work. However, according to a report by Health Advocate general stress results in as much as $300 billion annually in lost productivity. Even more alarming is the fact that 57% of employees who said they were very stressed at work felt less productive and disengaged, while only 10% of low-stress employees reported feeling this way.
With disengaged workers comes many complications as well. In fact, disengaged workers had 37% higher absenteeism, 49% more accidents, and 60% more errors and defects. These all cause drastic drops in productivity that are affecting your business in both the long and short run. Those consequences can be seen across the board; organizations with low employee engagement scores saw 18% lower productivity, 16% lower profitability, 37% lower job growth, and 65% lower share price over time.
In addition to disengaged workers, a big factor that comes into play when discussing productivity is communication and engagement styles within the organization. 86% of corporate executives, employees and educators say that ineffective communications is a big reason for failures in the workplace. According to Siemens, a business with 100 employees spends an average downtime of 17 hours a week clarifying communication, translating to an annual cost of $528,443.
To what extent are businesses and organizations designed to withstand the costs of disengaged employees and what can they do to better their employee morale? Creating an environment that fosters productivity and promotes effective communication is key to the overarching success of both your business and employees.
THE SOLUTION
A study from Florida State University found that productivity and performance are at their peak during uninterrupted 90-minute intervals. While, a study by Gensler found that a balanced workplace (one that emphasizes both the importance of individual work as well as collaboration) was the most productive, and that for collaboration in the workplace to be effective, employees still need to be provided with a workplace in which they can focus.
The correlation between focus and productivity is important to note; only 20% of individuals reported being able to focus on more than one task at a time while at work, but those who can are 50% more engaged. As we saw earlier, this rise in employee engagement ultimately leads to increased productivity.
Not only does a rise in employee engagement reap results throughout the organization, but it also causes a rise in overall employee retention. Organizations that saw a rise in employee engagement saw a corresponding increase in employee retention, seeing results as high at 87%.
These practices aren’t necessarily anything new; companies are finding new ways to boost employee engagement by creating an environment that fosters successful work, and it’s working. Vodafone engages and inspires employees with their employee advocacy program. The External Communications team at Vodafone UK needed a solution that would allow them to provide employees with a single destination where they could access and share company news and content. In 18 months, their program has expanded to almost 2,000 employees, who have shared over 50,000 pieces of content, driving over 30,000,000 impressions for the company. A program like this encourages a boost in employee engagement, and finds ways for individuals to feel more connected to their organization.
Productivity isn’t inevitable within your organization, however, the key to encouraging employee engagement and an overall boost in productivity is to ensure you’re creating an environment that supports this kind of behavior. When employees feel as if their organization is fostered into their work, the results can be seen across the board from focus to productivity to employee retention.
Stats On the Importance of Productivity within the Workplace:
- 57% of employees who said they were very stressed at work felt less productive and disengaged, while only 10% of low-stress employees reported feeling this way. (Source)
- Disengaged workers had 37% higher absenteeism, 49% more accidents, and 60% more errors and defects. Organizations with low employee engagement scores saw 18% lower productivity, 16% lower profitability, 37% lower job growth, and 65% lower share price over time. (Source)
- 60% of employees feel their relationship with their employer positively impacts their focus or productivity at work (Source)
- A study from Florida State University found that productivity and performance are at their peak during uninterrupted 90-minute intervals. (Source)
- 86% of corporate executives, employees and educators say that ineffective communications is a big reason for failures in the workplace. (Source)
- Only 20% are able to focus on one task at a time at work, but those who can are 50% more engaged (Source)
- When employee engagement increases, there is a corresponding increase in employee retention by up to 87%. (Source)
