Author: Brian Wallace

It is no secret that the digital workspaces are becoming more and more integrated into the traditional day.

In-person employees switch through multiple online apps and whole businesses meeting via online platforms.

And remote team workers rely on the internet to complete their day.

It is more important than ever that businesses understand how to use digital workspaces to remain efficient.

Did you know that the average employee uses 9 applications a day in order to complete their daily work tasks?

Between communication, reporting, and business applications managers can use up to 10 a day!

App Switching’s Negative Effect on Productivity

All of this switching between apps has actually been proven to have a negative effect on a businesses overall productivity. 

It has been reported that:

• • 21% of employees become less efficient at their job.
  • 19% report reduced attention to tasks.
  • And 17% admit they work longer hours in order to make up for the lost time.

This lost time comes from the fact that each interruption that comes from switching tasks takes about 23 minutes to regain focus.

Overall, this means that constant task switching can lead to an overall 40% in lost productivity.

What’s more is that most businesses aren’t just using applications as their only digital workspaces.

Shift to Remote Work

After the pandemic, there was a large shift to remote work.

While many employees have returned to traditional office spaces there are still many people who remain working from home and plan to stay that way for the remainder of their career.

This means that in addition to the traditional applications businesses use in their day to day tasks, many are also using remote meetings in order to continue communication between their remote and in-person employees.

Since scheduling remote meetings is much easier than trying to book an in-person meeting, 55% of employees are finding that they are attending more meetings than they were in the past, and this is also contributing to a lack of productivity. 

83% of employees spend up to a third of their work week in video meetings. And 71% of these employees report that many of these meetings are unnecessary and lead to more time being wasted.

This loss of time means less time to complete important tasks during the work day, and businesses are suffering from the overall loss of productivity.

Aside from just the loss of time, employees are reporting that they are suffering from remote work fatigue.

Employees Exhausted by Being on Camera

49% of employees report that being on camera makes them more exhausted, and there is actual scientific evidence that may be able to explain why.

The constant use of cameras make employees feel as though they have a lack of personal space, and feel as though they are the center of everyone’s attention.

This can be emotionally draining for many people and can increase self awareness in a negative way and increase feelings of anxiety.

When employees are feeling less satisfied and overall exhausted from the amount of digital meetings they are having to attend, it can significantly lower their productivity and consequently that of their place of employment. 

Steps to Increase Productivity

The good news is that since there is evidence that proves what is leading to lower productivity, there are clear steps that can be taken in order to increase productivity both in-person and remote workers.

First, executives should be sure to lower the amount of digital meetings they are conducting each week.

If a communication can be made via email or can be postponed until an already scheduled meeting, it can be helpful to wait rather than schedule an unnecessary meeting.

Improving Digital Workspaces

Consolidating work to a few different apps can also lower the amount of task switching and increase productivity in employees across offices and the digital space alike.

Just these two small changes will allow more time in an employee’s day to complete their tasks rather than wasting time in meeting waiting rooms or mindlessly switching through applications.

It is also important to listen to employee desires and needs. A business that fosters happy and healthy relationships with their employees can expect to see productivity increase overtime compared to those who have dissatisfied employees. 

Navigating the transition from in-person work to digital workspaces can be challenging.

Learn more about how to make digital work the most efficient in your own business in the infographic below:

Source: eyeson.com