HERBERT LEWIS, Guest ColumnistTHERE ARE certain work habits which seem to be getting worse by the day in many organisations and businesses. Undoubtedly, these habits must be having a serious effect on productivity wherever they exist. These habits must, therefore, be regarded as productivity-killers at the workplace.
Try to conduct business in some organisations today and one cannot but conclude that companies are throwing away millions of dollars annually in lost productivity. Surely, if a survey was conducted, it might very well reveal that the average worker wastes more than two hours each workday, on every thing from making personal phone calls to socialising with co-workers to simply 'spacing out'. Since time must be regarded as money, these habits must be costing businesses big bucks.
People who want to get on with their lives are becoming impatient not only with employees who waste time on the job, but with the businesses which seem not to take corrective measures to deal with this bad habit. Some employers have taken notice and are cracking down on disengaged employees. While most employees don't purposely put off their priorities, those who frequently mismanage time should be aware that their actions or lack thereof can cost them choice assignments, promotions or even their jobs.
CHRONIC TARDINESS
The old adage 'Better late than never' doesn't hold water in the workplace. If you are always the last one into the workplace, colleagues and managers may question your professionalism and be upset by your lack of respect for them and the customers, even if you are staying late to compensate. Equally problematic, you may be exhausted and unfocused when you finally get to your post.
While everyone is tempted to sleep a little late in the morning, tardiness is a major bad habit. Luckily, it's easily remedied. To overcome this problem, determine when you have to be out the door to make it into your work place on time. Then aim to leave at a reasonable time, before your 'must-leave' time, and be sure to build extra time into your commute for unexpected delays.
CYBERSLACKING
What appears to be the 'harmless' 15 minutes spent here and there surfing the web and emailing friends adds up over the course of a full workday. In fact, a recent international research indicates that, on average, employees spend nearly an hour a day on personal Internet use while in office. In the U.S.A., it is estimated that this practice is costing corporations more than $178 billion annually in lost productivity.
If you are a celebrity-gossip junkie or sports score-checking fanatic, you should break yourself out of the habit while working on projects. Although taking the occasional mental break to look up something online is part of modern-day work life, save the majority of your in-depth research for home. And don't forget that your office computer is actually the employer's equipment. What you do on that computer is the company's business.
POST-LUNCH LETHARGY
You feel fatigued and your productivity dips immediately after lunch. Plus, the boss is likely noticing your sluggishness and the resulting lack of output. Many businesses regard the times between noon to 2:00 p.m. as one of the least productive times of the day for employees.
To combat this period of fatigue it is recommended that one should eat for energy. Healthy, wholesome lunches not a candy bar, soda or chips. Eating right can help to combat the dreaded mid-day slump and aid attentiveness the entire afternoon.
DISTRACTION ATTENTION
When an employee is easily side-tracked by chatty co-workers, and excessive snack breaks or time taken to discuss the last episode of the night before soap opera, you are more likely to miss deadlines and infuriate customers and then scramble to finish projects. While it is beneficial to one's career and overall well-being to have good relationships with ones co-workers, job duties should never take a backseat to socialising. Employees have a duty to complete work first before taking time to chit-chat. Your co-worker will be around for a while deadlines won't.
ERRAND-RUNNING
Successfully balancing personal and professional commitments is important, but doing so does not mean using work hours to run private errands. Allowing personal obligations and tasks to consistently interfere with an employee's job is a sure-fire way to damage one's career.
It is simple: Focus on work when you are at work. Save the shopping, pharmacy trips and dry-cleaning runs for your off-hours. Whenever possible, schedule routine dental or medical appointments before or after work, or ask for permission to take a long lunch break instead of trying to squeeze in an appointment. If an employee has extenuating circumstances, such as issues involving children or an elderly parent, it is wise to discuss the situation with his or her manager. Out of the discussions the parties may be able to work out a more flexible schedule.
And speaking of flexible, I cannot but wonder why the bits and pieces of legislation which need to be amended in order to accommodate flexible work arrangements generally have not been attended to. Although extensive discussions have taken place between all stakeholders, we are still at stage one. Minister Dalley, the ball is in your court.
Just in case any group believes that this article is intended for rank-and-file employees only, please disabuse your minds. This applies to all levels from the lowest to the highest in the workplace.
The peril of wasting time at work or in relation to work can contribute to the failure to maximise productivity. To this end, every effort should be made to deal with time-wasting habits if improved productivity and good discipline is to be maintained.
Herbert Lewis is an industrial relations specialist and former president of the Jamaica Employers' Federation (JEF). Email: herblewis@cwjamaica.com.
