Helping workers avoid multitasking
In the last 10 years, employers have been placing the requirement for good multitasking skills on their job postings, but the latest research further confirms that there are no benefits to attempting to do more than one task concurrently. Performance is degraded on both tasks being attempted, and it actually takes longer finish both than if they were the sole focus of attention.
Finite focus
It turns out that although we may want to believe that our personal abilities are above normal, the human brain is designed to provide focus to only one thing at a time, particularly when working on goal-based projects. The recent ban on cellular phone use while driving has been instituted in many jurisdictions because of the brain science around working memory and executive function. People with a high capacity in those areas are able to switch more quickly and effectively from one task to another, but even with training, working memory is a limited brain capacity.
Tech life
Today, many employees in a variety of workplaces find that they are using technology as part of their jobs and as a way to keep in touch with family and friends. It is so pervasive that they find it hard to avoid paying attention to it even when they are in the middle of work hours. Although personal phone calls and projects have always been part of work life, it is the degree and time spent on social media and other individual non-work pursuits that has changed. Employers need to recognize that this will be a problem impacting productivity unless they specifically take action to prevent it.
Managing attention
In order to help employees focus at work, it is important to share with them the effect of multitasking on their work and how that in turn affects the company as a whole. Many people believe that they are part of the select few who don't actually experience a performance degradation, but as this simple experiment shows, we are poor judges of our own abilities. This can encourage employees to set up routines and rituals, such as checking e-mail only once an hour, that minimize distraction. Existing technology is already able to support their efforts by sending automatic reminders and silencing incoming message alarms.
Neural nanny
The interplay between technology as a tool to increase productivity and its potential to greatly reduce productivity has not gone unnoticed by technology corporations. The new Institute for Innovation and Information Productivity is working to understand productivity in the Information Age; units created per hour worked is an outdated Industrial Age concept. As they work to create meaningful measurements of productivity for today's information workers, they are likely to spin off tools for managers that can help employees maximize their effectiveness at work—even if they are telecommuting from home in their pajamas. Surveillance software can already monitor exactly how a computer worker's day is being spent.
Productivity encouragers
Many companies have gone to the extent of banning smartphones in conference rooms and meetings, recording details of employee computer use and imposing strict rules about how the working day is spent. As the commodity employees are being paid for is their time, focus and attention, there is no reason why employers should not make these demands—particularly in a recession. However, as the economy recovers and more job opportunities open up, workers may feel that the ability to stay constantly connected is worth the hassle of finding a new job in a less restrictive environment.
