Time wasting activities abound at the office. Considering the fact that most people can’t seem to complete everything they set out to do on a daily basis, it is interesting to actually see that many of these workers engage in activities that take up a significant chunk of their time.
Multiple studies have shown that some activities at work are very effective at wasting people’s time and unless they are curbed or stopped outright, each worker’s productivity will be compromised or affected.
Traditional Faxing Machines
Like it or not, the amount of time spent sending and waiting for faxes could be spent on more important things. This is why you should get rid of that old fax machine and get an online fax system instead. With this, you can get your faxed documents while on the go, instead of having to wait for hours on end.
Online fax systems and services are pretty effective at allowing you send your faxes from anywhere in the world. There is also the added advantage of it being private as you can actually restrict the number of people who have access to the documents. Furthermore, there are a wide variety of fax services to fill any business need imaginable, and services such as FindAFax’s online comparison will help you filter out services that do not fit your business needs from those that do.
Socializing and Chatting at Work
According to a few studies, 14% and 23% of all workers admitted that chatting with and socializing with others respectively impacted their output at work. Many complained that even when they do not want to be dragged into conversations, it is difficult being the odd one out when everyone around you is having a discussion or are talking about stuff.
No matter how busy you might be, you’ll seem like a snob, and no one wants to be that at work. To prevent this, get an earpiece and plug it in your ear when you are busy. This will send a clear signal to others that you are not available. As for water cooler conversations, only go there when it is clear that there’s no one there.
Surfing the Web and Social Networking
Most people surf the web while at work. While there’s nothing wrong with this if you are using it for work-related stuff, doing it on company time for personal reasons eats into your time.
Whether it is checking your emails, surfing for shoes or belts on a store, or facebooking, these activities are counterproductive. In fact, studies have shown that 77% of all company employees spend about 2 hours a day facebooking, using LinkedIn, tweeting, keeking, pinning photos or instagramming.
The point is that social networking on your own time is okay. Not on company time. To stop this, you need to install social network website blockers on your browsers, there are tons of add-ons for this. This will help you get back on track even when you cannot help yourself.
Job Hunting and Seeking Other Opportunities
Here’re some interesting stats: 46% of all company staff say they actively job hunt while using company resources. Another 69% say they are looking for other opportunities or positioning themselves as available while at work. The solution to this is simple: do it on your own time. Maybe if you spent more time meeting set deadlines and did excellent work, you’ll get the career advancement you crave elsewhere.
Scheduling and Attending Meetings
Employees said they spent an average of 33 minutes trying to schedule and get everyone into meetings. Moreover, 11% of all employees say attending those meetings is their number one time-wasting activity at work. Who can blame them, seeing as many meetings are either unnecessary or often involve a lot of back and forth without any meaningful conclusions.
Here’s a suggestion: if you can call and arrange those meetings, make the meetings standing room only. Moreover, if you are not in the position to call for those meetings, suggest that to your supervisor. No one wants to stand for longer than 15-20 minutes. Doing this will make the meeting more effective and efficient.
Oscar King, the writer, is a strong proponent of workplace efficiency and always strives to eliminate wasted time at work, which has led to him advancing further and faster than his counterparts as a result of this work ethic. If you wish to learn more about Oscar you can read about him on Google+.
