Make Sure Your Employees Have Time and Space to Focus

 

Here is another valuable Management Tip of the Day from Harvard Business Review. To sign up for a free subscription to any/all HBR newsletters, please click here.

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Between scanning our inboxes, checking our phones, and feeling overwhelmed by our workloads, it’s a wonder anyone can get work done. To help your employees focus and stay productive, you need to counterbalance these distractions.

o First, make sure the office has designated spaces where employees can disconnect. You don’t have to install nap pods like Google — you can set aside a corner with comfy chairs or rooms where people can close the door and work.

o Second, encourage employees to block out chunks of “focus time” on their calendars. Tell them it’s OK to ignore email or Slack for a few hours; have them use an auto-reply to let people know they’re unavailable. (“I’m stepping away from my email to finish this project. I’ll be back in one hour.”)

o And set policies around how quickly employees have to respond to messages. The more time they’re spending on “urgent” emails, the less time they’re spending on deep work.

Here’s a direct link to dozens of other Management Tips.

This tip is adapted from 4 Ways to Help Your Team Avoid Digital Distractions,” by Amy Blankson.

 

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