Providing the Right Context for Good Choices
After having 2 children, I have come to the conclusion that 2 things are true: I can not make them eat and I cannot make them sleep. I don’t care what the books say, when my son buttons his mouth closed and when my daughter sings to herself in bed, there is nothing I can do to physically make them capitulate to my wishes. I have come to terms with these two truths because I also know that my responsibility is simply to give them the right context for good choice. For instance, I can’t make Luke eat, but I can offer healthy options and not cave by placating his whimsical tummy. And I can’t make Rebekah sleep, but I can give her quiet time in her room where she just might drift off if left alone.
The right tools for success
It doesn't matter how many tools you have, if you're missing the right one.
Similarly, while you can’ make your workers more productive, you can give them the tools to succeed. Complaining about worker productivity and then doing nothing about it is irresponsible management. It’s your job to provide the right context and the best equipment for business achievement and success. Entrepeneur lays out 5 specific principles for worker productivity, including clear expectations, regular feedback, and the best technology and tools. I would argue that one of the best pieces of technology you can give your employees is sound masking. Clear expectations and daily feedback are great, but aren’t worth much if your workers can’t concentrate on their tasks due to excessive office noise. Sound masking emits low-level background noise (akin to an HVAC whoosh) to softly, but effectively cover ambient noise. The results have been more than positive:
- Focus: the ability of office workers to focus on their tasks improved by 48%
- Distractions: “conversational distractions” decreased by 51%
- Error-rates: performance of standard “information-worker” tasks (measured in terms of accuracy [error-rates] and short-term memory) improved by 10%
- Stress: when measured in terms of the actual physical symptoms of stress, stress was reduced by 27%
Better focus and fewer distractions and errors always lend themselves to increased productivity. Throw in happier, less stressed workers, and it’s the whole package.