Organizational Wellness

Unlock Employee Productivity: How to Conquer Eight Most Common Time Wasters at Work

Last Updated Nov 4, 2024

Time to read: 9 minutes

Everyone has fallen prey to notorious time wasters at work at some point. Inevitably, some distraction will pop up and time will slip away unnoticed until suddenly your coworker is asking for the report you just started…. a few hours ago.

Fortunately, there are various tools you can use to unlock productivity and drive performance. The first step: understanding the most common time wasters.

Time wasters are activities or practices that eat up valuable working hours without contributing to productivity. This includes anything that diverts focus away from important tasks, including ineffective meetings and disorganization.

Addressing time wasters is crucial for both organizational and employees, reducing operational cost and supporting work-life wellness. By recognizing and tackling these eight common time wasters, you can empower your team to reclaim their time and enhance overall performance. Let’s dive into these productivity pitfalls and explore solutions to overcome them!

Eight Common Time Wasters at Work — And Their Solutions

8 Common Time Wasters at Work: Unnecessary Meetings, Over-Checking Emails, Micromanagers, Multitasking, Disorganization, Doing Other People's Work, Social Media Usage, Distracting Coworkers

The Problem: Unnecessary Meetings

Unnecessary meetings are a nearly universal issue, hampering many employees' workflow. Alongside the rise of remote work, meeting frequency has increased nearly 70% in the last three years. Often, ineffective meetings lack a clear purpose or agenda, leading to unproductive discussions that could have been handled more efficiently through other means of communication.

The time spent preparing for, attending, and re-focusing after these meetings can significantly disrupt employees' daily routines. This ultimately undermines their time management efforts. Additionally, excessive meetings can contribute to burnout, as employees struggle to balance their core responsibilities with these constant interruptions.

Solutions for Unnecessary Meetings

As an HR leader, you play a pivotal role in addressing this problem by promoting the use of well-defined meeting agendas. Using these for every gathering gives participants a clear understanding of the conversation’s subject and goals. Encouraging shorter, focused meetings is also helpful.

HR can advocate for a culture where meetings are kept as concise as possible, implementing time limits for each agenda item. It can also be beneficial to gather feedback on meeting effectiveness when conducting employee surveys and adjust meeting practices accordingly.

The Problem: Over-Checking Emails

Email distraction and the constant monitoring of inboxes are other examples of common time wasters. The constant influx of emails can disrupt employees' focus, leading to decreased productivity.

The compulsion to frequently check and respond to emails creates a cycle of interruptions, making it difficult for employees to concentrate on more important tasks. This can contribute to increased stress since employees are constantly reacting to incoming messages rather than proactively managing their workload.

Solutions for Over-Checking Emails

One strategy HR can leverage to address email management is encouraging employees to set designated email-checking times. This helps employees set uninterrupted blocks of time for focused work.

Additionally, you can provide training and resources on email organization techniques, such as using folders or filters to prioritize emails. Encouraging clear communication about the urgency of emails and when a response is genuinely required can also help reduce unnecessary interruptions.

The Problem: Micromanagers

When employees are subjected to excessive supervision and close scrutiny, it can create a sense of mistrust and undermine their autonomy. They often feel like their every move is being monitored, which tends to stifle innovation. Instead of focusing on their tasks, employees spend valuable hours reporting and justifying their actions to their managers.

Solutions for Micromanagers

To combat micromanagement and promote trust within teams, you can implement strategies like communicating clear expectations. This helps employees have a well-defined understanding of their roles and responsibilities. HR can also facilitate professional development opportunities to enhance employees' skills and confidence, making them more self-reliant.

The Problem: Multitasking

Dealing with multiple assignments simultaneously is often mistakenly considered a time saver, but it has more downsides than you might expect. One major drawback is reduced efficiency, and research shows that organizations are almost 30% less productive because of employee multitasking.

When employees attempt to multitask, they often switch between tasks rapidly, which requires mental effort to refocus each time. This constant shifting of attention can decrease productivity and increase the likelihood of errors. Multitasking can also increase stress levels and lead to burnout as employees struggle to keep up with demand.

Solutions for Multitasking

To promote focused and efficient work, HR managers can encourage a workplace culture that values quality over quantity. Teach employees to tackle tasks one at a time, emphasizing the importance of giving their full attention to each assignment.

You can also provide training on time management techniques like the Pomodoro method, which involves focused work for a set time followed by a short break. HR can help advocate for realistic workloads and reasonable expectations, reducing the pressure on employees.

The Problem: Disorganization

Disorganized workspaces are another common time waster at work. When employees struggle to locate essential documents due to cluttered desks or disorganized digital files, it leads to both inefficiency and frustration. Poorly structured workflows can cause delays or even duplicated tasks, further wasting valuable time. Employees may spend extra effort simply trying to navigate their chaotic work environments.

Solutions for Disorganization

To help employees streamline their processes, you can offer organizational tips and resources. Encourage employees to declutter their physical workspaces regularly and keep only essential items on their desks. Provide digital tools and training on effective file management systems to help them maintain tidy digital spaces. Promoting organization with resources for employees to improve their environment leads to a more focused organizational culture.

The Problem: Doing Other People’s Work

While it's beneficial to be a team player, taking on too much extraneous work can lead to frustration and hinder productivity. Ineffective delegation and employees being burdened with tasks that don't align with their primary duties are common time-wasting issues in the workplace. It's important to streamline responsibilities and ensure that each employee is focused on their core tasks.

Solutions for Doing Other People’s Work

To mitigate this problem, HR leaders can actively promote clear task ownership. Listing transparent job descriptions, as well as communicating roles and responsibilities to all staffers, can all contribute. Encouraging open communication within teams and incorporating regular check-ins may also help promptly identify and address any task-related issues.

The Problem: Social Media Usage

The allure of social media and online distractions is undeniable. With easy access to smartphones and the internet, employees can find themselves drawn into the digital world during working hours. These distractions provide instant gratification and a brief escape from the demands of work, but they also have a detrimental impact on time management and focus.

Solutions for Social Media Usage

A simple strategy for combating this distraction is setting clear guidelines regarding social media usage during work hours. Communicate the importance of maintaining focus to complete tasks on time. You can also explain the benefits of stress reduction techniques to mitigate the temptation of online distractions.

The Problem: Distracting Coworkers

Excessive workplace chatter or Slack chats is another distraction that hampers concentration and productivity. When employees engage in constant conversations or noisy activities, it becomes challenging for their colleagues to focus. And constant pings throughout the day are enough to leave anyone frazzled. This can lead to reduced efficiency, as well as decreased job satisfaction.

Solutions for Distracting Coworkers

HR can take proactive steps to address this issue by implementing initiatives like designated quiet zones within the workplace. These offer employees a space where they can work without disruptions. For example, you can encourage employees to use the “do not disturb” function on Slack during focus time to reduce the number of notifications interrupting their thoughts. Time management workshops can also help employees prioritize their work and manage their time effectively, minimizing the need for excessive chatter.

Strategies Employees Use to Can Increase their Focus

Boosting focus in the workplace is a powerful way to enhance productivity and achieve better results. While eliminating time wasting activities is important, building strong focus habits can help employees maintain momentum even amidst daily distractions. Here are some effective strategies to help employees concentrate and stay on track:

Time Tracking

Time tracking can be a powerful tool for recognizing and minimizing time wasters. You can identify patterns of inefficiency simply by monitoring how employees spend their work hours. This strategy can be as simple as installing time-tracking software that allows employees to log their activities, or having employes record how they spend their time with time blocks on their calendar.

Quit Multitasking

As a way to combat this time waster, you can run workshops to educate employees about the disadvantages of multitasking and the benefits of focused work. Provide resources and tools that support mindful work practices, such as time management techniques.

Set a Schedule for Deep Work

Deep work, or focused and uninterrupted work periods, can significantly boost productivity. HR leaders can encourage employees to set aside specific blocks of time for deep work without distractions. They can also implement no meeting days as part of creating a culture that values and respects these periods of focused concentration. Consider providing quiet spaces or flexible work arrangements that support these efforts.

Set a Time for Breaks

Regular breaks are essential for productivity and employee wellbeing, which is why it helps to promote structured break schedules. In fact, people who take breaks during the workday are 13% more productive than those that don’t. A clear schedule encourages employees to step away from their workstations at specified intervals.

You can implement policies that discourage overworking and emphasize the importance of recharging during breaks. Encourage employees to engage in activities that help them relax, whether it's a short walk or meditation to disconnect from work-related tasks.

Better Project Management

Effective project management is key to preventing time wasters. To facilitate this, HR can provide training opportunities for employees to enhance their project management skills. These trainings can teach: task prioritization, time management, risk assessment, team collaboration, and more.

You can also encourage the use of different tools and methodologies to streamline processes and manage resources more efficiently. For example, tools like Asana and Microsoft Project can help in task management and tracking.

Improve Your Employee Experience

Unnecessary meetings, digital distractions, disorganized workflows, and other time drains can significantly reduce productivity and lead to burnout. Addressing these time wasters can improve the employee experience, which in turn boosts your satisfaction and engagement rates.

Implementing wellbeing programs is another way to enhance the employee experience by contributing to a more balanced work environment. By prioritizing employee wellbeing, your organization can reduce stress and foster a culture of holistic health. Ninety-nine percent of HR leaders say their wellbeing program directly increases employee productivity. After all, employees who feel supported in their roles are more likely to be engaged, which often means greater efficiency!

Speak with a Wellbeing Specialist to learn how to build a holistic wellness platform that supports a healthier and more engaged workforce.

Company healthcare costs drop by up to 35% with Wellhub! (* Based on proprietary research comparing healthcare costs of active Wellhub users to non-users.) Talk to a Wellbeing Specialist to see how we can help reduce your healthcare spending!