How to Maintain Productivity Out of the Office The Downsides of Working From Home (And How to Hold Yourself Accountable)
MONDAY–THURSDAY
Are 4-DayWorkweeks the Secret to Productivity?
Could you get more done with one less day in the week?
The modern workplace is changing, and with that comes the constant expansion of communication technology. We’re able to do our work on-the-go like never before. While this trend is relatively new in the business world and gives us access to work from the comforts of our own home, we’re finally starting to recognize some of the downsides and how to hold yourself accountable at home.
Of course not! Most of us need more time in the week, not less. At least, that’s the assumption. But a New Zealand company recently proved that when it comes to company productivity, less may mean more. In March of 2018, Perpetual Guardian, a finance management company in New Zealand, began testing a four-day workweek for its 240 employees. Researchers from the University of Auckland and Auckland University of Technology studied the firm before, during, and after the trial. Perpetual Guardian isn’t the first company to test-drive a four-day workweek, but during the trial period, they did something unusual: They didn’t reduce employees’ salaries. Paying employees for five days of work while only requiring four days sounds like a surefire way to bankrupt a company, but researchers found the change had the opposite effect. By trimming the hours down and maintaining pay, Perpetual Guardian saw a 20 percent increase in productivity. The shorter workweek motivated employees to get their work done quicker by cutting down meeting times, becoming more self- motivated, and telling their colleagues when they were being distracting. After the trial, employees at Perpetual Guardian also reported feeling 7 percent less stressed and a 24 percent improvement in work-life balance. Considering the fact that burnout — and the sick days that come with it — is such a problem in the United States, providing employees with a better work-life balance may be the secret to a happier, more productive workplace. After the successful trial, Perpetual Guardian opted to stick with the four- day workweek permanently. They provide several tips for implementing a four-day workweek at your company. • ● Speak to your staff and be clear about your objectives.. • ● Ensure policy is well-supported and resourced. • ● Create a policy that can flex depending on workloads, projects, or customer requirements. • ● Let your customers knowwhat’s going on and assure them there will be no drop in service. • ● Ensure the new employment structure doesn’t cut across legal requirements. • ● Be clear that the aim of the initiative is to benefit the company as well as the employees. • ● Recognize that flexible working initiatives aren’t magic bullets. If you’re interested in learning more about Perpetual Guardian’s four- day work week, check out the white paper written by The University of Auckland researchers at 4DayWeek.co.nz/four-day-week-trial . • Do your own web and local research.
One of the biggest hurdles you’ll face when working from home is the lack of face-to-face interaction, which every entrepreneur can point to as being integral to a successful business. Depending on howmuch you enjoy being a social butterfly, being out of the office can either be your saving grace or your worst enemy. Without the office atmosphere — including the unique culture and interactions — some workers may find themselves lost. Remote workers often find themselves juggling inefficient communication systems like text-chat and video streaming just to get the information they need to finish a task. It is time to bring your work communications to the modern age. By leaving the archaic emails behind and being proactive in scheduling virtual meetings with your key players, any questions you have will successfully be answered. There’s a fine line between being in a place of peace while you work and being in a place of distraction. The largest concern with remote workers is the loss of productivity caused by external distractions. To better suit your attentive needs, leave your electronics off, save for any absolutely necessary background noise that helps you stay on task. However, some employees are actually more productive without the pressure of a formal work environment. This freedom can be a double- edged sword though; nobody will know if you sneak off to the local Chili’s for a cold one while you wrap up your assignments. That freedom is both the appeal of working remotely and its primary failing. You have to be able to hold yourself accountable and work at a sustainable rate if you want to justify working from home. This comes from finding your optimumworkspace and figuring out the best way to stay connected. By creating an at-home workroom, free from the noise of a coffee shop and the temptations of a sports bar, you’ll find it much easier to concentrate when you need to. To better ensure accountability, try using a teamwork site like Google Drive. Its interconnectivity will hold you accountable for your workload in real time. A feeling of responsibility is distraction’s worst nightmare.
www.coachfirm.com
3
You see problems. We see possibilities.
Made with FlippingBook HTML5