One of the biggest problems young business leaders deal with is productivity.  When they come to me to talk about operations it usually has to do with them not meeting commitments or benchmarks due to not getting the work done on time.

Root Cause

When I dig in I usually find they are having their staff use shared workspace (formerly known as co-working space) to operate their business.  Compound this with today’s mandated social distancing and the space they have to run their business now gets smaller.

The onslaught of shared work facilities has brought in some fresh ideas and before the need to safeguard employee’s health they have been centers for social collaboration..or at least that was their intention.

The Need For Adequate Work Area

Businesses…any business… has to have adequate space to conduct what they do for business.  Even the solopreneur that works exclusively off a smartphone or iPad has space requirements.

Fortunately, businesses using shared workspace now see the benefits of having private offices to put their staff.  Not only can the business leader reduce their liability associated with the responsibility they have to keep their employees safe and healthy but they see an immediate increase in their productivity.

“Office employees spend a lot of their time inside a building, where the physical environments influence their well-being and directly influence their work performance and productivity. … Temperature, air quality, lighting and noise conditions in the office affect the work concentration and productivity”…ScienceDirect

“Productivity is the heart and soul of a business. If you want your employees to improve their productivity, it could come down to the structure and setting of your office. “…BusinessNewsDaily.com

It is a shame the number of new executives of businesses who have NEVER seen an executive suite.  Or even an Executive Desk.  After I show them one they say they can see the need for space…and the image a larger office gives to them being the leader of the business.  No matter how suppressing many people feel about the leaders of a business having large offices it is a human instinct that employees better respect their leader when they portray success and (more importantly) confidence. 

Feeling Confident Comes Feeling Important

A well organized large office with a large desk provides an image of confidence.   Confidence in what you do improves productivity.

“Confident people are productive and it’s a self-catalyzing cycle.” Confidence stirs in you the ability to act; productivity gives you the tools to act well. Confidence is linked to doing and productivity is about efficient, effective execution...AdobeUniversity.com

I would suggest if you are finding your staff is not being as productive as it needs to be you look at your work environment to see if your staff has enough room to do their job.  If not..put each one in their private office with adequate space and see what happens.  You may be surprised.

Let me know how I can help.