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ShanyMarch 26, 20207 min read

Eleven Things That Decrease Workplace Productivity

Workplace productivity can help get the company to its destiny, meet its goals, and post good results for the year. A productive workplace also means professional and personal growth, and also ensures harmony in the workplace, a fundamental sense of direction, as well as optimal cooperation and coordination.

However, there are those aspects or elements that decrease productivity in the workplace. You could be in the know of such elements. However, at times, you will find the productivity in your place decreasing as a result of factors or a set of factors that you are entirely unaware of.

Some of these factors include:

Absence of Clear Purpose

At the workplace, people get things done accurately and efficiently if they are entirely in the know of the mission, vision, and purpose. A purpose gives them reasons to show up to work every day and get things done. However, it is also noting that this is not the case in every other workplace.

Some workplaces do not have clear-cut purposes, meaning, or sense of direction. This throws the employees in limbo. It also reduces productivity at the workplace because there isn’t a clear towering purpose for work.

Communication Issues

Communication plays a crucial; role in the workplace. It facilitates the exchange of information between people. This information could be instructions on a particular task, it could be some request, or it could be some clarification. When there is a proper flow of information, then you can rest assured that there will be increased productivity. This is so because there is timely receipt of information to influence execution.

Poor communication means that employees cannot work in sync. This is because some will be out of the loop of what is happening. It also means that it will be challenging to coordinate a team and give instructions. What this does is that it chips and eats away the productivity in the workplace. You can surely expect a low volume of output or low quality of output.

Communication issues also mean that there will be instances of distortion of information. Further, there may be issues in information exchange along the chains of command. All this culminates in decreased productivity in the workplace, which is not a good thing for any company or organization.

Poor Management

Bosses and the decisions that they make at the organization impact every other operation or activity in the organization. The choices they make, as well as the actions they take, are always far-reaching. This is because, as leaders and managers, they have the responsibility of setting and shaping the direction of the organization. Any mishap means that there will be some inefficiencies in other departments.

Bad bosses will impose policies that may not be effective or appropriate, and this may end up, resulting in decreased productivity.

This is because the employee’s morale takes a hit. The energy reduces, and so does the psyche. In such a scenario, you can surely expect low productivity in the organization.

Sub-par Working Environment

The working environment is very crucial when it comes to productivity. From lighting to furniture to the office layouts, the working environment speaks a lot to its productivity. For instance, lighting matters a lot, since the nature of the lighting, poor or proper, directly correlates with productivity.

Poor lighting results in unnecessary reflections, and this could have a toll on the sight of the employees. Rest assured that this will result in a direct hit to productivity. Today’s workplace involves some digital device and a personal computer. These are devices that have screens and, therefore, screen-light.

Poorly set up lighting can create uncomfortable situations among employees working with such devices, all to the detriment of productivity. Working with good essay writers who work with such devices and in such environments can be helpful since they can avail helpful organizational tips.

Sub-par furniture has its place in contributing to decreased productivity at the workplace. Poor furniture often results in body aches. Issues like back pain from poorly designed chairs, aching necks, and tired hands are key factors that lead to reduced workplace productivity.

Sitting apparatus and, consequently, sitting positions matter a lot when it comes to working. Sub-par furniture means that somebody will not be comfortable while doing their job, and these people will not be at optimal productivity.

Dietary Issues

The food employees take at the workplace has a lot to do with their productivity. Some foods put a dent in productivity as a result of digestion and metabolic issues. Unhealthy foods mean unhealthy employees hence low productivity. You might as well seek a review of healthy meals before you organize your menu when at work.

Unbalanced meals and poor food options mean that employees access foods that do not sync with their work demands. This can be very detrimental to general workplace productivity in many respects.

Lack of Social Moments

The importance of a community in the workplace is immeasurable. Most employees like to have a community of workmates to socialize with and talk to in the course of work. It helps to lift their spirits and encourage them as they go about their roles and tasks.

During those breaks in the day, employees can take time to interact with each other and exchange views. In the absence of this, there is loneliness and isolation, and this dampens the mood of the employees. It demoralizes them and reduces their productivity and puts them in a position that does not allow them to deliver effectively.

No Exercise

Exercise matters a lot to the human body – and anything that matters to the human body also matters at work. Exercise helps in many ways including:

Keeping the body refreshed
Keeping the body relaxed and fit

Further, it gives someone a sense of direction and purpose through concentration. This is important for a healthy and solid workplace. When employees do not exercise, it will be evident. Their fitness will reduce. This will bleed to their overall well-being and concentration as well. In the end, you will find this manifesting itself in the workplace in the form of reduced productivity .

No Recognition

Employees throw in all they got to achieve key targets because, for various reasons, including personal satisfaction, increased compensation, or recognition. Indeed, good work needs to be appreciated, applauded and recognized. This is what keeps employees pushing for new and better limits because they know of the rewards.

However, a key reason that contributes to decreased productivity in the workplace is the absence of recognition. Some superiors, supervisors, managers, or executives do not applaud and recognize their employees appropriately whenever they achieve. This has the overall effect of demoralizing the employee or the employees in question. Ultimately, you will find the employees losing their morale and motivation, and the workplace may turn to a dull place.

Burnout

Too much work and tight deadlines mean that employees will have to commit more time and resources to the tasks at hand. There is a problem with this. These employees, more often than not, juggle other issues. They could be personal, educational, or family matters. Heaping lots of work with strict and tight deadlines increases the pressure on their heads.

The aggregate effect of this is burnout within the employees. Burnout has the effect of lowering focus, concentration, and, ultimately, employee and workplace productivity.

Excess Meetings

There is no contention that meetings are an essential part of any organization. This is because meetings are avenues for planning, strategizing, and assessing. However, this does not mean that meetings have to be there daily. Meetings take up time in planning and execution, and this could lead to time wastage and breakdown in the flow of normal work activities and operations.

In this respect, therefore, meetings can become a bother, and this could put off employees. This reduced psyche and morale can also lead to decreased workplace productivity, which can hugely cost the company.

Incoherent Chain of Command

The organizational structure of any organization is crucial in the operation and execution of tasks and activities. Who people report to and how matters. This is so since employees, at the end of the day, have to report to someone. Any incoherence in the organizational structure creates friction and misunderstandings, and this can weigh in on the execution of activities in the organization.

There is a reasonably good chance that there will be impediments to progress as well.

It is also highly likely that there will be low workplace productivity as a direct result of the friction in the chain of command.

To sum this up, there is a wide array of things that independently and jointly contribute to a decrease in workplace productivity. Some might even argue a remote or no connection to reduced workplace productivity. However, as remote, as they seem, they surely have an impact on productivity in the workplace.

From the surrounding and environment to exercise and organization structure, these things have a way or two, solely or collectively, of dampening morale and reducing productivity.

About the author: Jessica Fender is an experienced writer and editor for various websites including AllTopReviews, a resource with websites ratings of content companies. She is always looking for ways to improve the productivity of her team and get better results with fewer resources. You can connect with Jessica on Twitter and LinkedIn.