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Hello everyone, this is Tom Hallett from the Learn Grow Succeed Podcast.

Today’s podcast topic is one which I have seen plenty of discussion around recently, and that’s productivity.

Personal productivity both for you and your team to be more precise – something which I think for a lot of people has fluctuated wildly in the few months since lockdown.

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So – productivity.

Is this something you’re proud that your team have managed to maintain despite Covid, or has it been a roller coaster due to everything that’s been going on?

The pandemic has affected us all differently, and if productivity in your organisation has suffered, I’m sure you’re not alone.

This podcast is all about helping you and your team with suggestions to reactivate your productivity.

So let’s get started by looking at some productivity facts that have emerged from the pandemic.

Covid Productivity Facts

Despite being a pretty tough time personally and professionally for many of us, the data that I’ve seen all points to the fact that productivity for most companies, did not suffer due to the pandemic.

It has even increased in some organisations.

Research carried out by global broker company Willis Towers Watson and published in Personnel Today found that 85% of employees who were sent home to work remotely during the lockdown said they had the technology, tools and resources to work productively from home.

And only 15% of companies said that they had experienced a negative effect on productivity due to lockdown.

The lockdown affected us all differently.

Those with gardens might have felt like they were on an extended holiday. Others with slightly less spacious living arrangements will have been eager to get back into the office.

Now, post-Covid, some companies and their employees returned to the office, but a significant portion has remained working remotely – 49% state the latest figures from the Office of National Statistics.

Remote working can affect productivity, which I will talk about a little later, but next, let’s look at some of the other factors that can impact output.

What Affects Productivity?

So, with the majority of companies reporting little problems with productivity, let’s look at what typically can affect productivity, and how this applies in our post-pandemic world.

Several factors can cause an increase or a reduction in productivity in the workplace.  The following are the top three things that can negatively alter productivity in your team.

They are –

1. Number one is a lack of clear job description. This is a relevant topic right now, as so many businesses have changed in light of Covid. Have your employee’s roles changed recently? Have you had clear discussions with them all about their roles currently and how they might change in the future? Your team need clarity to be able to work productively.
2. Second is co-worker issues. A lot of teams have been fractured and even permanently changed by Covid; whether working remotely or not. If there are any issues between co-workers that you are aware of, now is the time to put them to bed. Lead by example, by promoting a harmonious working relationship with all members of your team.
3. And thirdly, and most relevantly, is a poor work environment. This is so essential right now because many people have decided to continue to work from home. This might have sounded like a great idea at the start of lockdown – but now several months in, it might be time to think about how suitable your team’s remote working arrangements are.

If productivity is slipping, it could be to do with a lack of technology, support, or feelings of isolation within your team.

How to Encourage and Maintain Productivity

Looking at the facts I’ve mentioned in this podcast, the risk of productivity slipping in a post-pandemic world is not much more significant than it was pre-Covid, providing your remote employees have everything they need to work effectively from home.

But this doesn’t mean we can’t use the crisis to inspire us to keep productivity at an all-time high. So here are a couple of suggestions for maintaining excellent personal productivity in both yourself and your team.

Overcommunicate

With everything that’s been going on, and especially if their working arrangements have been disrupted, your team might simply be lacking focus. Talk to your team about any areas they’re struggling with and then formulate a plan to help them.

Work On Your Leadership Skills

If you think that productivity is at risk in your team perhaps due to uncertainties over the organisation’s future, strong leadership is vital to help steer your team in the right direction for them to be their most focused and productive selves.

So let’s summarise the key productivity points from today’s podcast for you.

• Productivity during Covid has been better than anyone expected;
• Over 85% of our employees had some level of technology to facilitate working from home during this period or at least thought they had;
• For many, if remote working continues, some degree of flexibility will need to happen – including space and technology.
• Productivity can be impacted by other things, not only remote working; think role descriptions – these might change moving forward, whether they are remote or not.

I hope today’s podcast has stimulated some thoughts for you?

If your organisation is working remotely and you would like support and training to develop your virtual working capability, the training team at Excel can help. Drop me an email at Tom dot Hallett at Excel dash communications dot com and let’s set up a call.

This is Tom from the Learn Grow Succeed Podcast saying bye for now.

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