Authored by Phil Cohen
Are you a small business owner and wondering why your staff isn’t being as productive as you would like?
You have probably done your best to make your workspace as efficient as you can. However, there still may be several common workplace distractions that you haven’t thought about and definitely haven’t removed from the office. These could be hindering your workplace productivity.
Here are 5 common workplace distractions hurting productivity:
Noisy Printers and Copiers
Now that you think about it, you know exactly what this distracting noise sounds like, right? In an otherwise-quiet workspace, a loud copier and printer is a disruption, and can make a worker lose their train of thought. Consider moving these machines to a separate space, where their rumbling will be less audible.
Cell Phones
This one is rather obvious, as cell phones are a problematic distraction for just about every activity—socializing, driving, and of course, working. A CareerBuilder survey reveals that workers report that their primary source of distraction at work is their cell phone.
Gossip
Gossip is the second biggest distracting factor on the CareerBuilder survey. And it is true, the most popular time-waster besides virtually socializing on a handheld device is socializing in person. Now remember, communication at the workplace is vitally important to a healthy business. It is a good sign that your staff likes to talk with one another. However, when work needs to be done, this is obviously an inhibitor to progress. So, in order to avoid problems with chatting, designate collective break-times strategically so that your workers can get the gossip out of the way around the water cooler. And, if that doesn’t quite fix the problem, don’t be afraid to steer workplace conversations if they stray too far off topic.
Windows
Again, it is very healthy to have a view of the outside as you work. Nonetheless, it is also remarkably easy to let it hinder production. Make sure that all windows have blinds or curtains so that if a worker feels they are being distracted by their view, they can fix the problem.
Speaker Phone
When you or an employee conducts phone calls on speaker phone, all ears are fixed to that conversation. It is far more enticing to listen to somebody talk on the phone while you can hear the person at the other end respond. So, perhaps design a rule that prohibits speaker phone talking, unless it is essential for a conference call.
With those common distractions in mind, hopefully you can increase your small business productivity. If you are looking to maximize your efficiency financially, you should consider using invoice factoring. Traditional bank loans can be difficult to attain and impractical to pay off. Accounts receivable factoring is the best alternative lending practice for small businesses. Talk to Factor Finders to start increasing your cash flow and growing your business.
For more information on how factoring can help your business give us a call today or request a free factoring quote!