If you haven’t come across it as a term yet, you’ve definitely come across it in person, in the workplace. Work interruption is a whole series of different events that can seem to conspire against you, getting in the way of productivity. It’s a serious issue, too. Medium sized companies can lose seven hours a day from the different kinds of work interruption. Here, we’re going to look at how to sort it.
Missing data and resources
It might be due to a computer crashing. It may be due to a digital security problem. It might even be because you’re still using an unreliable paper system. The fact is that most businesses lose files and data they rely on. They should keep them protected and backed up. Services like Spectrumwise offer business networks as well as protective measures for them. They can ensure that your files are kept safe and accessible.
Internet connectivity problems
Even if you’re using a great internal network, you’re likely going to have need of the internet. You don’t want your employees to be in a position of powerlessness because your connection has an hour-long hiccup. Instead, you should be investing in ways to diversify your internet connection. Even if you run a home business, at least have a dongle that you can pay to use when you need it.
The power’s out
An even bigger catastrophe than losing your internet is using the power throughout the whole office. There’s little that most businesses can do when that happens. So you need to take the obvious precaution of getting a backup generator. Power cuts are rare, yes, but an inopportune one can have disastrous consequences if it interrupts an important process.
The employee you need isn’t there
You don’t want to be in the position where you have an indispensable employee. Someone who has necessary skills that no-one else does. As much as is possible, fight that probability by investing in more training for your team. Cross-training makes it easier to at least provide a second-rate solution when someone is gone. If they’re gone more permanently, it can hold you over until hiring someone new. It’s also a lot cheaper than hiring a temp.
Work gets in the way
We all know how it is. You’re in the middle of a task when suddenly, something else jumps up that needs to be dealt with. You end up juggling different duties to the point where you don’t really get much work done. Better productivity is achieved by properly prioritizing different tasks and managing your time. If a task pops up, put it on the to-do list. Rank their priority and don’t get distracted by pesky interruptions.
Non-work gets in the way
Finally, the chances are that half of those distractions aren’t work related at all. Whether it’s with you or the employees, understand that the risk to stray toward unprofessional uses of your time is strong. So take precautions against it. Use tools like StayFocusd that can help you block certain sites, for example.
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