50 Causes of Decreased Workplace Productivity

This past December, following two years of careful building and preparation, I finally took the plunge and resigned from my full-time job to pursue my own business full-time. Readers of this blog also know that this past December, my wife and I had our first baby.

Needless to say, life has been one of significant adjustment and change for me of late.

I’m my own boss now, and a restless entrepreneur at that – if left to my own devices, I’d work all day, every day, in an attempt to make my business producing corporate team building activities in New York City as strong as possible ( it’s true – just ask my wife). However, the fact that I’ve got a new infant has thrown quite a monkey wrench into my plans to work nonstop; as it turns out, babies require a lot of attention, and don’t really care about your own needs – including need of sleep, let alone the need to work. As such, I feel that the experience of having an infant has, to a certain degree, affected my productivity.

There are so many reasons which can account for a decrease in workplace productivity, to varying degrees – it appears that I’ve just unwittingly  stumbled upon one myself. Here is a list of other forces at play, both in the office and at home, which my lead to decreased productivity among both you and your staff:

1.     Chronic illness

2.     Child care issues

3.     Parent/elder care issues

4.     Insomnia/exhaustion

5.     Boredom/lack of workplace challenge

6.     Change – of any kind

7.     Marital issues, including separation/divorce

8.     Child custody issues

9.     Lack of awareness/buy-in to the firm’s overall goals and objectives

10.  Jealousy, bitterness or anger towards management

11.  Drug/alcohol abuse

12.  Extreme heat or cold, both inside and outside the office

13.  Major holidays, observances or other cultural events

14.  Inefficient workflow processes

15.  Ineffective/outdated workplace technologies

16.  Poor configuration of physical space

17.  Weakened workplace morale due to layoffs, salary freezes etc.

18.  Lack of motivation/recognition/reward

19.  Too much noise in the office

20.  Too much distraction in the form of online games, social media etc.

21.  Authoritarian management style

22.  Poor performance reviews

23.  Recent reprimands

24.  Enactment of new HR policies

25.  Enforcement of existing HR rules

26.  Malnutrition/lack of exercise

27.  Money issues, including loans/debt and gambling

28.  Career path reevaluation

29.  School/continuing education issues

30.  General time management issues

31.  Office overcrowding

32.  Recent departure of key staff, managers, principals or mentors

33.  Death of the office pet

34.  Increase in work travel schedule/itineraries

35.  Language barriers among staff, clients or third parties

36.  Increase in number of on-site meetings

37.  Increase in number of off-site retreats

38.  Cancellation of workplace perks

39.  Reduction/elimination of bonuses

40.  Recent/frequent office moves

41.  Technology issues affecting the network, BlackBerries, telephones etc.

42.  Positions remaining vacant for too long, while work is shouldered by others

43.  Too many pings, buzzes, knocks & workplace interruptions in general

44.  Extended lunch breaks

45.  Too many cigarette breaks

46.  “Summer Fridays”

47.  Too many people out of the office at once, either for vacation, illness etc.

48.  Too many babies/kids coming to visit the office

49.  A television or radio blaring away somewhere in the office

50.  Increased commuting time

Work doesn’t occur in a vacuum, and there will always be external forces at play which impact the speed, quality and quantity of output, be it of your staff, your managers or yourself.

Can you think of any others? Please feel free to leave in the box below!