| |
Your office can be a
stimulating hub of activity…or a place that saps everyone’s energy. Your
workspace can support forward-looking decisions…or raise stress levels to
the point that people merely exist in a reactive state. You can thrive in
an environment that encourages cross-functional interaction and
innovation…or be a victim of the latest office planning fad.
We know that our surroundings
affect productivity. Factors such as privacy and the ability to
concentrate, as well as appropriate places to discuss the latest workplace
dilemma—all have an impact on our performance. We also know from the recent
Canadian HR Reporter/Watson Wyatt survey that nearly 41% of HR
professionals are accountable for employee productivity. Yet rarely do HR
surveys ask a key question that can uncover staggering costs: If your
physical environment changed to reflect your true needs, what difference
would it make to your job performance? When I ask managers about the
combined impact of noise, distractions, crowded conditions, air quality,
lighting, and inadequate meeting space, their estimates range between 25%
and 50% loss of effectiveness. Translated into salary costs, this annual
waste of $10,000 to $50,000 or more per employee deserves our attention.
Read the rest of the article
here. |
|
"Work on productivity of
the knowledge worker has barely begun," says Peter Drucker. "(We are today)
roughly where we were in the year 1900 in terms of productivity of the
manual worker."
|
|
