Tips for improving productivity at work

What are the secrets to greater productivity at work

It’s a question that all good managers, directors and owners should be asking themselves whenever they get enough of a break from ‘doing their own stuff’ to be able to think about how everyone else goes about their jobs.

One of the secrets certainly has to be happiness.

Happy people are more productive at work. You don’t have to have a brain the size of a planet to know that.

One of the main things that can make us happy and content – or not – is our marriage or our romantic relationship.

In fact, it’s probably the main thing that makes us happy or sad. And this means it’s one of the main things that improves or damages productivity at work.

New productivity at work statistics reveals that people who are happy in their home relationships perform much better in the office.

Our research has found that issues in romantic relationships at home are having a significant impact on how the UK’s high-earners perform when they are in the office.

That this is happening with high earners should be especially concerning for companies, because these people are very often employed in executive positions and make decisions that can have major implications for the business.

Research that was carried out for us by YouGov shows that more than 40% of people with household incomes of at least £100,000 have had domestic problems that were bad enough to significantly damage productivity at work.

The figure is about the same as the proportion of people who will encounter mental health problems in their lifetime.

Poor mental health was recently estimated by Deloitte to cost UK employers £33 billion to £42 billion every year.

Quite rightly, firms spend a lot of money trying to tackle it.

But these same firms are doing virtually nothing about something that also has a very serious impact on well-being and performance.

This has to change.

The extra challenge in the corporate world is that the very nature of the work itself can create or exacerbate relationship problems.

High stress, long hours and extended time apart to travel on business take their toll.

And when you add to the mix the high-octane combination of power, success, the trappings of wealth, and multiple rounds of corporate entertainment that often abound in these environments, the temptation is generally in no short supply.

The vulnerability that can come from being surrounded by beautifully presented people, each throwing off warmer vibes than the daggers that were being shot at you as you left home under stress that morning, is not to be underestimated.

Corporate professional environments top the charts for ‘the double whammy’ on relationships – stressful relationships at home negatively impact workplace productivity, and lower productivity creates more stress on the job, which then further increases unhappiness at home and therefore damages productivity at work.

The good news is that we don’t have just one tip for improving productivity at work, we have four – four habits

These four habits allow people to strengthen or repair their romantic relationships and improve their performance in the workplace.

The 4 Habits for better performance at work are…

  • Be CURIOUS, not critical – which helps people get over the hurdle of frustration that comes from unmet expectations.
  • Be CAREFUL, not crushing – which helps people get over the hurdle of poor conflict resolution approaches and the damage they can cause in relationships.
  • ASK, don’t assume – which helps people get over the hurdle of frustration that comes from mistrust and disrespect that can creep into relationships over time.
  • CONNECT before you correct – which is all about getting better at communicating real value and appreciation, and holding back on that need to give “constructive feedback” that so many of us are all too good at!
A close up of a hand writing a to-do list in a note book.

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Relationship breakdown and the workplace - YouGov Research Report

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