These Invisible Energy-Draining Habits Are Making You — And Your Team — Less Productive A closer look at some lesser-known daily habits that are covertly draining productivity — and how to combat them.
By Aytekin Tank Edited by Jessica Thomas
Key Takeaways
- The pandemic led to an unexpected increase in productivity, which was followed by a historic drop in 2022, the highest since 1947.
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The pandemic brought about sweeping changes in the workplace. One of the most counterintuitive findings was that for many companies, productivity soared. But in 2022, some of those companies were equally stumped when productivity plunged. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2022 saw the sharpest decline in productivity since 1947.
While the reason for the drop wasn't obvious, one thing's for sure: For leaders, assigning personal blame isn't the best approach. It causes panic and kills morale. It certainly doesn't motivate employees to get working. A better approach is to roll up your sleeves, identify the obstacles, and figure out how to overcome them together.
As CEO of Jotform, I've learned that the most significant productivity drains aren't coffee breaks or social media scrolling. They're often the habits that go unseen. Here are some ways that I navigate invisible energy drains with my team.
Related: 3 Simple Ways to Motivate a Remote Workforce
Discourage overworking
Looking at the post-pandemic drops in productivity, some experts hypothesized that overworking was one of the invisible culprits. As economist Lawrence H. Summers, president emeritus of Harvard University and former treasury secretary, told the Washington Post, many employees were working unsustainably hard in 2020 and 2021. This led to widespread burnout and an upswing in what came to be known as "quiet quitting" — doing the bare minimum at work. This "absenteeism" on the job, said Summers, probably led to lower productivity.
I think we can all agree that during those "uncertain times," so many of us were scrambling to secure our businesses and careers. While the economy is still far from steady, it's fair to say that there are more factors within our control today. Leaders can take the initiative to ensure that overworking is no longer the "new normal."
How can management create an environment that discourages overworking?
At Jotform, I try to set an example for my team by creating boundaries. When I leave the office, I truly sign off, except for emergencies. (On most devices, it's fairly easy to add exceptions to your "Do Not Disturb" mode.) We also try to create flexible deadlines, viewing them as more of ongoing dialogues than rigid orders. I try to cultivate an environment where "face time" isn't a metric for measuring productivity. We focus on outcomes, rather than being "on." It helps our employees gauge for themselves when they work best and when they need rest. And when employees aren't burned out, productivity increases over the long term.
Encourage social connection
Lunch breaks and water cooler chats are often viewed as the antithesis of productivity, but in fact, those casual social interactions can replenish motivation. What's more, as Harvard Business Review explains, a sense of isolation contributes to employee burnout even more than a heavy workload. Put simply, skipping socialization is bad for business.
To foster social connection and combat loneliness, create rituals with your team. Order lunch once a week. Fire a Nerf gun any time someone closes a project. Schedule coffee breaks (online or in-person) where colleagues can chat about non-work topics. (Pro tip: make it optional so that employees aren't forced to attend if they're in the middle of a project that requires deep focus. After all, these should be casual, fun activities, not required reading.) Create a Slack channel where people can share daily icebreaker questions. The communication software company Range schedules a weekly 30-minute game time for their employees, a great idea for taking a breather and connecting.
When we undervalue and discourage social connection, we lose out on real productivity benefits. Rituals can help forge more meaningful bonds and replenish motivation. Harvard Business School put it best: Teams that play together stay together.
Prioritize autonomy
I've always felt that holding too many meetings can be a barrier to productivity — just how big of a barrier came as somewhat of a surprise. Recent research shows that 70% of meetings keep employees from doing productive work. 92% of employees consider meetings costly and unproductive. In one study, researchers found that employee productivity was 71% higher when meetings were reduced by 40%.
But before you go slashing every meeting from your team calendar, it's helpful to understand the connection between meetings and productivity.
According to the same researchers above, when employees have too many meetings, they feel micromanaged. When they have fewer meetings, they feel more autonomous, which in turn boosts motivation and as a result, productivity.
I try to keep this in mind when I schedule meetings. I ask myself if I need a status update, if an employee truly needs my input or if I should let them figure it out alone. In many cases, a message via a chat application or project management platform will accomplish the team's goals without requiring a meeting. In fact, the HBR researchers found that 83% of employees preferred using chat touchpoints over traditional meetings because it saved them time.
As companies continue to transition back to the office and find the "new normal," we can expect to see fluctuations in short-term productivity. But offering employees autonomy, fostering genuine connections, and discouraging burnout is your best bet for sustainably boosting productivity.
