I could never have imagined that it would open my eyes like that. After the holidays I have come to the conclusion that something very strange is going on when we all suddenly go back to work. I will already reveal that the productivity of your organization can increase alarmingly. What is the learning moment?
The learning moment
On vacation we use our means of communication in optimum form, much better than we do at the office! Some explanation: You may be the lucky one who doesn’t continue to work, but the reality is that about 40% of people have contact with work in one way or another via the well-known smartphone during the holidays. And the remarkable thing is: Then we are suddenly able to set priorities, because we want to be disturbed as little as possible. Based on caller ID, we only answer the phone of those we want to contact and we send WhatsApp messages or use chat to get a quick answer from a colleague. There are even people who do a short Skype call during the holidays. The result: With much less effort than at the office, business continues as usual! But then we come back…
Instant stress from working day 1
After the holidays we will sit behind our desk again. The first thing you do? Probably clearing your e-mail inbox. Can you manage that? Usually not, because all kinds of meetings are immediately planned or that you are distracted by a colleague at the coffee machine. Your priorities cannot be given proper attention and we ignore the resources at our disposal. The main reason for the stress is that we are too often distracted, because even if you are in a reserved space, a colleague can burst in at any moment.
Policy is needed!
Prioritize policy, because if your policy is still conservative and old-fashioned, modern means of communication are of no use at all.
For consideration:
- If we want to know something quickly while on holiday, we send a WhatsApp or chat. At the office, we often send an email containing only two lines. How come?
- At the office, we spend hours meeting in an unproductive way. While on holiday, there is still a productive way to consult with each other, for example via Skype or chat. Time to meet more online perhaps?
- Once at the office, we take every call and let colleagues disturb us even if you have shut down for a while. On holiday we decide who we give priority or not.
In short, without good agreements old work patterns continue and we continue to be disturbed on a daily basis.
Celebrate more holidays
Those who are able to also apply their holiday behavior at work will ultimately have an even more relaxed holiday. Perhaps that is a thought. I am happy to inform you how you can achieve much higher productivity by thinking logically, determining the right policy and using the added value of the various means of communication.