Far from wanting team members to wander around the office all day, you’re forever telling them to get back to work. If you have to ask Anne to return to her desk one more time, you’re going to lose it. But, think about it. Far from helping with productivity, sitting at a desk for too long can have the opposite effect. If team members don’t have a break for three or more hours, they won’t be able to focus. They may also struggle with simple tasks like decision making. But, the moment you introduce even five minute breaks, you can increase employee productivity a great deal. Hence why we’re going to look at how you can get team members away from their desks.
Of course, this is a double-edged sword. Too much time away is going to do as much damage as none at all. No one will be there to produce work, after all. But, by encouraging short ‘movement breaks’ in the following ways, you could see workload increase tenfold.
Provide drink facilities
If your team members have to head out to get hot drinks, the chances are that they stock up first thing, and then wait until lunchtime. They’ll never have time to go and get another. But, the moment you include drink facilities in the office is the moment five-minute breaks become a regular thing. All you need to do is research to find the right coffee machine or tea making options. Then, make sure that team members know they can take a short coffee break when they feel the need to. While you will want to keep an eye on those who use this to avoid work, this small change should make a big difference.
Encourage office exercises
In recent years, office exercises have been gaining popularity. Once the reserve of Japanese companies, we can now see the benefits of these across the world. Sadly, few employers make office exercises a part of the working day. Break that mold by making an effort here. Embarking on ten minutes of office-wide exercise every three hours or so could do the trick. It’s a fun way to break up the day, and you’ll find that it makes a huge difference for both body and mind. If a team member is struggling with an idea, taking their mind off it in this way could be the muse they’re after.
Hand out active errands
More often than not, the tasks you delegate chain employees to their desks. Break this up by making sure to delegate plenty of active tasks as well. Something as simple as getting someone to go to the copy room could do the trick here. Or, you may want to ask different team members each day to head out and buy supplies. You might have to think hard to come up with errands like these, but they can make a huge difference. All you need to do is make sure you spread them evenly for maximum results.
