Emails, reports, subscriptions, market research,  newspapers, books, and brochures are just some of the information sources that we are inundated with, in our modern workplaces.
 
Like it or not, we are caught up in an age where there is an explosion of information. With this constant bombardment of information it has become more and more difficult to manage efficiently the information we receive. It is only natural to sometimes suffer from information anxiety and a sense of being overwhelmed.
 
It has become crucial to have systems in place to be able to organise this information efficiently so we can find it easily.
 
Following are four strategies that will help you keep your information organised.
 
Strategy 1 - Have a place for everything and everything in its place
An analogy can be made with your kitchen. There is a place for your cutlery, plates, utensils, etc that enables you to find them quickly. This is also desirable in your workplace. You want all incoming work/information in a specific home so you know where to find it and are able to retrieve it efficiently when you need it.
 
Strategy 2 - Have the most frequently used items closest at hand
Items that you use frequently should be stored in an easily accessible place, close at hand. Items that you would rarely use could be stored for instance, in a cabinet across the room.
 
Strategy 3 - Keep like items together
Organise similar information by bunching them together in a way that makes sense to your brain so it can be efficiently retrieved.
 
Strategy 4 - Only keep what you need.
Make an assessment of the value of the information when you receive it. Determine if you have used this type of information before, if the answer is not often, then just get rid of it. The trick is to be lean, because the leaner you are the more efficient you are likely to be.
 
Over time we can develop certain ‘habits’ which sabotage our efficiency. Assessing systems we have in place and adjusting them if needed is a positive step towards greater productivity.

Collagis is committed to helping businesses like yours to optimise workforce and organisational effectiveness. We'd love to share with you how we can help you to organise information more efficiently.

​The Personal Efficiency Program (PEP) helps individuals and teams to improve personal productivity and gain back on average 2 hours per person per day for meaningful work. Ask us for more information about how this could help your organisation to thrive.

With the impact of Covid19 on our workplace, the percentage of people remote working from home has skyrocketed. Working from home has its own unique challenges but if your goal is to increase productivity, it is important for you to understand how crucial the role habits can play.

The habits we develop can have a significant impact on our productivity. Our goal should be to replace bad habits that are often caused by reactive patterns of behaviour with good habits that will make us proactive and enable us to take charge of our own agendas.
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While we are experiencing workplace changes, it is an opportune time for us to review our work habits to change any unproductive habits and build new more productive ones.

The following are 12 ways to form habits that increase work productivity.

Habit 1 - Start each day with a plan.
Having a plan can drastically increase your work productivity. A plan can enable you to focus on what’s important instead of getting distracted by unforeseen tasks that inevitably pop up.

It is a good habit to create a plan during the afternoon for the following day. Select any essential tasks that are crucial for you to finish by the end of the day and then block out times in your calendar to complete them. For the most important work it is suggested that you use the most productive times of the day when you are most efficient.

Remember, if you fail to plan then you plan to fail.
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Habit 2 - Try to minimise distractions
Minimising unwanted distractions will help keep you on task and increase productivity. Wearing headphones when there are noise distractions or reducing visual distractions such as pop-ups on your computer screens are just a couple of simple ways to increase productivity.

Habit 3 - Concentrate on one thing at a time
Single tasking is one key action towards improving productivity. Research has shown that multitasking can negatively influence your productivity. You may think that by multitasking you will get more done, but when you jump between tasks, your cognitive processing is hindered and you are less productive. By focussing on a single task enables you to get into a deeper state of mental concentration and achieve your most efficient results.

Working deeply can take a lot of energy and effort so it’s important that you take breaks. The Pomodoro Technique provides a useful guideline when working intensely. Work 25 minutes of focused work, followed by a 5-minute break.

Habit 4 - Start your day early
Early in the morning is a time when it has been shown that your creativity and willpower is strongest. Coupled with this is the time of day when you feel fresh and energised. By starting early you can also reduce the number of interruptions you may get as emails, phone calls and personal interruptions become more frequent during the day.

Habit 5 - Time-blocking works wonders
Time blocking is an excellent way to organise your time more efficiently by assigning tasks to time blocks that you have divided the day into.

By time blocking you can be proactive by prioritising your most important tasks and focus on one task at a time increasing proactivity.

Habit 6 - Close your inbox
Email is one of those 21st Century tools that you could not do without but it can also be one of your biggest distractions. By time blocking specific times to check and reply to messages and having your inbox closed and out of sight for the rest of the day can be a significant habit that will lead to greater productivity.

Habit 7 - Take small steps
A huge project can often feel daunting and we begin procrastinating over it. We find other tasks such as cleaning out our desk or redesigning our work space to put it off. A more effective approach is to break the project into smaller achievable steps that forms a list of tasks that are much more manageable and motivational.

Habit 8 - Reward yourself
Create a positive mental cycle by rewarding yourself for completing work and doing a job well done. When you finish a task, reward yourself and this will make you feel more inclined and motivated to begin the next task. For mental health, the habits of treating yourself when you reach milestones and celebrating success will have a positive effect on future productivity.

Habit 9 - Eat smart
The World Health Organisation has estimated that eating the right food can boost our brain power by up to 20%. An important habit to increase productivity is to eat healthily and regularly. Choosing nutritious foods and avoiding sugary snacks that make you crash will help you work at your best. Skipping meals can make you tired, irritable and mentally fatigued  negatively  affecting your productivity.

Habit 10 - Exercise regularly
A healthy habit such as regular cardiovascular exercise can be a crucial factor in working productivity. Exercise can boost your memory, attention span, creativity and can also lower stress and improve mood - a plethora of positive outcomes to increase your productivity.

Habit 11 - Use productivity apps
If you want to be the best you can you need to take advantage of the best, most efficient tools that are available to you. There are many apps that are available to boost your productivity and you should be building your arsenal of technology to give you the edge in a very competitive market. A great example of this is Microsoft To Do. This app syncs between your mobile and desktop to help you keep on top of your to-do lists and organise tasks by stream and deadline.

Habit 12 - Delegate wisely
Taking the burden and workload of too many tasks can be anti-productive. If you are trying to carry too much weight on your shoulders you likely to crash and burn but by delegating wisely you can share this load. If there is someone else who is better suited to a job then delegate it. Smart delegation of jobs when needed helps you achieve your goals without sacrificing productivity.
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By developing good habits you can build a productive workplace to help you work to your potential.

​Collagis is committed to helping businesses like yours to optimise workforce and organisational effectiveness. We'd love to share with you how we can help you to improve productivity.
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The Personal Efficiency Program (PEP) helps individuals and teams to improve personal productivity and gain back on average 2 hours per person per day for meaningful work. Ask us for more information about how this could help your organisation to thrive.
​

Having a strong positive organisational culture motivates everyone to do their best work. Businesses with a positive, well defined culture have systems in place and widely shared beliefs that promote employee engagement, performance and productivity. It is important to understand that workplace culture is not only about the behaviour of employees but also about the values the organisation believes in.

“A team is more than a sum of its parts. The best teams invest a tremendous amount of time exploring, shaping and agreeing on a purpose that belongs to them collectively and individually. By contrast, failed teams rarely develop a common purpose. ” Jon R. Katzenbach

What is Organisational culture?

Organisational culture can be defined as the behaviours and values that contribute to the social and psychological environment of an organisation that help to guide its employees. An organisation's culture determines the correct way to behave and interact and also determines how work activities should be carried out.

Organisational culture consists of shared beliefs, values, expectations, assumptions, philosophy and goals that are established by leaders and then communicated and reinforced, ultimately shaping employee perceptions, behaviours and understanding.

The Importance of Organisational Culture

The following are several reasons why organizational culture is important.

· Increased Productivity.
Employees who have shared beliefs, values, expectations and the resources and tools they need to succeed, increase productivity and performance levels overall.

· Improved Engagement.
​A work environment that is driven by effective leadership, clear expectations and purpose, inspires employees to be more engaged. Increased engagement drives increased productivity.

· Improved Employee Satisfaction.
A positive organisational culture where employees are valued and respected, means employees are more likely to be happy and satisfied. Satisfied employees develop a strong connection to a business, which in turn creates a positive work atmosphere and improved productivity.

· Positive Team Environment.
Having a strong connection to an organization and its people creates an atmosphere of positivity. Team members who are informed and have a clear understanding of strategy, structures and processes will unify together, helping them work together with purpose, resulting in improved organisational effectiveness.

· Effective Training Programs.
An organisational culture where employees are transitioned into new roles through orientation, training and management programs, helps employees to feel more connected, needed, loyal and show increased satisfaction towards their job. Organisational culture can have a profound appeal on employees and can inspire and help attract and keep your best people.

How Do We Measure Organisational Culture?

How do you measure organisational culture to ensure you realise all its benefits? The following are two of the most common methods that can be implemented to aid in assessing the culture of your organisation.

· Culture surveys
Culture surveys enable organisations to review their beliefs, behaviours, and practices of their company against how they’re perceived by their employees. These surveys are designed to enable organisations to define and diagnose their organisational culture. 

· Engagement Surveys
Employee engagement is related to the levels of commitment and enthusiasm employees have towards their organisation and their individual goals. Due to the correlations between organisational culture and employee engagement, engagement surveys are one of the best way to measure ongoing culture. The Gallup Q12 survey is one such example that provides a "Rubik Cube" style view of engagement across teams, role types, locations, tenure, etc. 

Ways to improve Organisational Culture

Here are some tried and proven ways of developing a strong positive organisational culture.

· Establish clear and defined organisational values and goals.
Ascertaining your organisational values, goals and behaviours, and communicating these to every employee is crucial. Your values, goals and behaviours construct how your employees will view the company and the company's expectations of them. Understanding what is expected reduces uncertainty and ensures everyone is aligned on how things should be done. Having employees’ goals aligned with organisational goals will enhance dedication and motivation to accomplish objectives.

· Promote Trust
Building trust in your work environment is a key element in a successful organisational culture.
In a high trust culture, employees are not afraid to speak the truth. Promoting trust boosts relationships, improving a team's ability to face uncertainty and change.

· Empower Employees
All employees, no matter what their role is, will drive an organisations success. Empowering employees means giving your team members permission to make decisions and take action within your organization. Empowering employees requires effective communication, clear accountabilities and strategic delegation.

· Encourage Employees
Appreciate and reward great work. When employees perform beyond their expectations, recognize their achievements and reward them. Encouragement boosts employees and motivates them to perform better. And in doing so, reward and recognition can be use to reinforce positive organisational culture behaviours.

· Hear What Your Employees Have to Say
It is important to respect the needs and ideas of employees. Collaboration is essential so be sure to make time and opportunities to listen to employees. By hearing what your employees have to say informally or in a formal forum, you are able to build trust, gauge employee’s motivations and inspire confidence.

· Use Modern Technology
Effective use of modern technology is an important enabler to building an effective organisational culture.  Communication platforms, need to be used to reinforce and enable the companies values and behaviours.  Slack, Teams, Zoom,  Yammer, Jira, Google Apps for Business are examples of such platforms. Once you've defined your organisational culture & behaviours, considering effective use of technology to bring these behaviours to life is crucial.

Culture is the soul of a company. It is the compass that directs a company towards success or failure.
Neglecting organisational culture is not only detrimental to an organisation's growth, but can also be detrimental to a company's brand and future. There are many examples in the public domain at present of organisations facing regulatory consequences related to poor underlying organisational cultures. The culture of your organization impacts everything from productivity and engagement to retention and growth. Through concentrating on your organisations culture, you are providing employees with clear expectations of what your company stands for and how to behave, and providing the best possible environment for your employees and business to thrive.

Did you know? “One in four Australian workers (25%) would sacrifice company perks for better wellbeing in their workplace and one in five workers would sacrifice a promotion (21%) or a pay rise (19%). Stressed workers would more readily sacrifice company perks (28%) and a pay rise (27%) for better wellbeing in their workplace” (McMillan, 2017 Workplace Wellbeing).

Implementing a workforce wellbeing program can be one of the levers organisations can pull to help their teams thrive. See below some suggested actions organisations can take in order to help improve wellbeing of their workforce.

Offer Health and Wellness Benefits
Providing resources for employees to engage in health and wellness activities is a common way of supporting employee wellbeing.

This may be in the form of onsite workout facilities (Google, Hootsuite, Adidas), gym discounts, team fitness activities (e.g., step challenges, team games, sports days), or just encouraged scheduling of regular fitness time in the calendar.

To address mental wellbeing, several companies such as Yahoo, Google, Nike, Pearson, and Salesforce offer onsite meditation rooms for their employees to rejuvenate their mind and body (MarketWatch, 2018). Providing access to, or encouraging use of, apps like Insight Timer, Headspace and Smiling Mind are another way to offer these services remotely.

Setting Priorities and Boundaries
One of the most common factors impacting wellbeing is workplace burnout. This can be prevented by setting realistic goals for your employees, helping to provide time management tools and training, helping employees set healthy work-life boundaries and respecting these boundaries. Being clear on priorities and setting realistic deadlines are also key.

These things are easier said than done, but as burnout continues to rise after a challenging 2020, Managers and employees alike would benefit from new tools to maintain energy in the workplace.

Addressing employee engagement
Studies reveal that highly engaged teams tend to be 21% more profitable than non-engaged teams (Forbes, 2019).

Understanding the level of engagement and the factors causing these levels is just the start; being able to create and implement plans that address underlining issues of engagement is crucial to engendering positive change.

Learning and Development
From financial education to physical and mental health education, employers can provide individuals access to training that improves their personal wellbeing as well as their professional wellbeing.

Access to Professional Support
Many companies offer employee support programs to provide critical professional services in times of difficulty. Whilst very important in a time of crisis, these services can also be beneficial for everyday mental health. To improve uptake of these services, organisations would benefit from reinforcing anonymity and suggesting commonplace uses to remove any barriers and stigma from utilising these services.

Social wellbeing
Managing your employees remotely can mean employees may sense a feeling of isolation or disconnection. This should be considered in a change communication and engagement plan – being sure that both formal communication forums (such as Town Halls, team off-sites) and informal social interactions (e.g., social events)  allow for authentic social connection. Games such as fun questions, guessing games, and personality quizzes can help provide icebreakers that break monotony and promote camaraderie among employers.
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Time
Breaks. Time off. Annual Leave. These are all important factors supporting health and wellbeing. One of the easiest things organisations can do to support overall wellbeing is to provide the time for employees to reenergise and renew.

Whilst there are no quick fixes or silver bullets to address wellbeing in the workplace, the list above provides a few examples of what organisations can do to address employee wellbeing. Managers must set an example, to provide the permission for others to do the same. And we all must take action to ensure  wellbeing strategies and programs come off the shelf and become part of our everyday lives.

Collagis is committed to helping businesses like yours to optimise workforce and organisational effectiveness.
We'd love to share with you how we can help you address workplace wellbeing in your workplace.

Links to references

           Food Mag. (2018, April 09). The cost of absenteeism. Retrieved December 10, 2020, from FoodMag: https://foodmag.com.au/the-cost-of-absenteeism/#:~:text=On%20average%2C%20Australian%20employees%20take,%2444%20billion%20per%20year2.
           
             Oswald, A. J., Proto, E., & Sgroi, D. (2015). Happiness and productivity. Journal of Labor Economics, 33(4), 789-822.

           Tay, L., & Diener, E. (2011). Needs and subjective wellbeing around the world. Journal of personality and social psychology, 101(2), 354

           Wu, H., Sears, L. E., Coberley, C. R., & Pope, J. E. (2016). Overall wellbeing and supervisor ratings of employee performance, accountability, customer service, innovation, prosocial behavior, and selfdevelopment. Journal of occupational and environmental medicine, 58(1), 35.
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Whilst workplace wellbeing has always played a pivotal role in ensuring optimal utilisation of human resources (Nordea, 2020), its importance since  the 2020 pandemic cannot be overlooked.
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How we invest in human capital at this time may prove the difference between businesses that stand the test of time and those that do not. Our people survived through 2020, holding on to optimism that things will eventually return to normal. As 2021 is upon us, and a new normal emerges, are we prepared to
help our employees thrive in this new world?​

Collagis is committed to helping businesses like yours to optimise workforce and organisational effectiveness.
We'd love to share with you how we can help you address workplace wellbeing. 

The Challenge.  Do you find yourself wasting time looking for things at work?  Whether it’s paper or electronic files the frustration that comes with not being able to find that document or file is stressful and can reduce effective output.
 
The Cost.  In short, the cost of not being able to place your hands on that item of work you need is time.  Some people we work with waste up to an hour a day trying to find things.  What could you do with an hour of time back in your work day?

Simple tips to help you find things in rapid speed

1. File effectively.  There’s plenty of guides around on how to construct your own filing system.[1]  For example, build your files around the major components of your role.  To help, list your major responsibilities and projects.  Then create working files and reference files for each of those areas of your role.  The time spent filing can be returned in faster retrieval of material.
2. Don’t file what you don’t need to. Use advanced searches to help find the material you’re looking for[2]; which works great for electronic files, not so great for paper.
3. Use short term ‘piling’ backed by a good filing system.[3]  Piling refers to dumping a bunch of electronic files into one area or folder.  It’s almost the opposite of filing in that you don’t have to create a special folder.  For this option you’re really relying on your search engine.
4. Take a consistent approach to filing across all platforms – Think upfront about how you will use Outlook, shared drives, Sharepoint, etc.  Replicate the files you created in point 1 across all these platforms including paper files.
5. Use Conversation view in Outlook to draw together threads of conversation related to the same subject.  It’s a fast way to bring together emails that could be filed all over Outlook – inbox, sent items, other folders.
6. Don't keep what you don't need to keep.  If you have less to look through it takes less time.  So be ruthless with what you keep; hoarders beware!
7. File as you go - Outlook lets you file an email you send wherever you want, not just the default of Sent Items.

 
Whatever approach you use make sure that it’s serving you and not the other way around!

​Want to know more about how you can improve your productivity in the workplace? Contact us at info@collagis.com.au OR visit collagis.com.au/pep to find productivity programs for your workplace. We'd love to hear from you.


[1] https://hbr.org/2012/01/tip-for-getting-more-organized.html
[2] https://www.whatsbestnext.com/2008/12/filing-vs-piling/
[3] https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newHTE_85.htm

By Andrew Gallaway

The Challenge.  What do you feel when you're in the zone - reading, writing, thinking - at work?  Fulfilled, purposeful, in control?  How do you feel when someone interrupts you in the zone?  Frustrated, important, stressed, willing to please?  Mixed feelings right?  That's probably because there are 'good' interruptions and 'wasteful' interruptions.  The good interruptions are when you're being informed of something that's urgent and important. The 'whoop, whoop' of the alarm is a great interruption if the building is on fire!  But the wasteful interruptions can be damaging to an organisation because everyone loses - the interrupter and the interrupted.  Neither is doing productive important work during the wasteful interruption.
 
The Cost.    Three interruptions per hour can cost you up to 30 minutes of time when you consider how long it takes to deal with the interruption and then get your mind back into work.[1]
 
5 Simple Tips to find your zone during work time
 
1. If someone comes into your workspace and interrupts you it’s likely that they consider the issue important; they might even be super pumped and excited.  But how important and urgent is it compared to what you’re doing right now.  The first step is to assess the nature of the interruption.  “How can I help you?”  If the matter is more urgent, drop what you’re doing and deal with it.  If it isn’t, then could you make a later time that day to talk? 

2. Consider saving up those important but not urgent conversations for another time.  Collect your thoughts, emails, issues in a folder and take them to a 1:1 meeting with a colleague or a group meeting where the session is planned.  It could be once or more per week.  Cover off the matters you and your colleague have saved up during that session.  You'll be amazed at how much time you save by batching those discussions.

3. Recognise if there’s a problem with interruptions in your workplace.  This is important because interruptions can happen quite unconsciously and can become an organisational habit.  So, awareness is the first step.

4. Talk to each other!  If there’s a problem with interruptions talk to the team and get buy-in to recognise the costs.

5. Find the right place to work.  At Collagis we believe that work needs to be done in the right workspace.  If you have to do work where you need to concentrate and not be disturbed, could you book a meeting room to work in for an hour or so?  Tell someone where you are going just in case and ask not to be disturbed unless it's an emergency.  You'll only be gone an hour or so!  

Finding the right environment during work hours is kind of like coming into work early or staying late because that's the only way you can get work done; no one else is around to bother you. 
Think about it!  Why are you doing that?  Work in work hours as much as you can by creating the right conditions for you to get the work done.
 
Want to know more about how you can improve your productivity in the workplace? Contact us at info@collagis.com.au OR visit collagis.com.au/pep to find productivity programs for your workplace. We'd love to hear from you.

[1] https://www.forbes.com/sites/markmurphy/2016/10/30/interruptions-at-work-are-killing-your-productivity/#4fa3968f1689

Author: Andrew Gallaway

The Challenge:  Do you find some people a joy to work with and others...well, not so?  It could be that you have unrecognised preferences in the way each of you work. 
               
The Cost:  When work preferences are at odds it can lead to frustration, stress, wasted time and in the worst case conflict at work.  This situation is no way for a team to progress and be effective. 
 
6 simple tips to discover and embrace work preferences

1. Recognise your own preferences when it comes to work. What are the conditions where you work best? How would you finish this sentence: "I work best when..."You might have a number of answers.I work best in the morning; I'm a night owl and think best between 2-4am; I work best when I know what outcome I'm driving towards; I enjoy discovering new things along the way; I like to do one thing at a time till it’s finished; etc.
   
   
2. Then ask yourself if it's possible that other people you work with might have different preferences? Of course they can! It's important to understand these differences and the relative strengths and weaknesses such differences bring to the team. For example, are you the type of person who enjoys a real global view of your work world, who is always scanning the environment and making connections between seemingly disparate events? Or are you more of a detailed person who has a razor sharp focus and likes to make decisions based on facts and figures? Both of these preference types contain obvious strengths but there are also elements of work that both these types of people find challenging or boring. The 'global' person might find it hard to close projects because they lose interest near the end, whilst the 'detailed' person might find it difficult to get started on new projects if there are a number of unfinished projects and they can't easily understand why something new is being started.
   
   
3. Celebrate the fact that diversity in style of work equals power...but only if the differing preferences are recognised and understood. To achieve team awareness, use an analytical tool to determine the individual work preferences of your team. Next share those results amongst the team whilst discussing the relative strengths of each preference.
   
   
4. Beware of black and white labels! Remember, just because team members have a preference doesn’t mean they can’t adapt in the short term for a good reason. For example, if they prefer to process work in a linear fashion, one item at a time, doesn’t mean they can't process a number of items simultaneously if it relates to a time sensitive deadline.
   
   
5. Watch out for blind spots across the team results. There is  a benefit to having a diverse team; different working styles bring various strengths to the team. If your team has very similar working styles, highlight the gaps and bring into the team styles that are not present in the team. If all team members are the same this might create harmony and strength in some areas. However, the team might be missing something in performance capability because they're missing a strength that exists in a difference preference. If you have a diverse team celebrate the good fortune you have of working together and carefully nurture the team and harness their styles for the benefit of the team.
   
   
6. Now you understand your own preferences and those of your colleagues it's time to consider what changes you might need to make to the way the team operates and how the team members interact with each other. There are some great tools that can help bridge any gaps between people that have different work styles.

Want help to implement your work preferences review? Speak to Collagis today about how you can make a real difference to your team's effectiveness today.

Contact us at info@collagis.com.au or visit www.collagis.com.au/pep to find productivity programs for your workplace. We'd love to hear from you.