The typical at-desk employee in the workplace loses hours of productivity every day to interruptions and distractions. Those interruptions come from e-mail alerts, instant messages, cell phones and handheld devices that constantly buzz. The typical employee also checks e-mail dozens and dozens of times a day. Each time, the employee gets sidetracked, and their attention span suffers. Productivity drops. Thinking time decreases. As a leader in the workplace, work with your employees to manage e-mails and to lessen daily interruptions. Try these techniques: Turn off all visual and sound alerts that announce new e-mail. Check e-mail at designated times during the day . Attempt to not check e-mail more often than every 45 minutes. Whenever possible, communicate by phone or face-to-face . This can actually save time and helps to build relationships, which suffer when e-mail is a workplace's predominant mode of communication. Resis...
Sharing tips, ideas, techniques and book reviews for leaders and managers for the past 17 years.