Posted: August 27, 2010

Lakeshia artis

lakeshia.artis@insidebiz.com

After lunch, most office workers experience the afternoon slump, where productivity starts to taper off.

Accountemps, a division of Robert Half International, a specialized international staffing firm, used an independent research firm to survey more than 1,000 managers at companies with 20 or more employees to assess what times of the day employees are the least productive.

"We conduct surveys on a regular basis with clients as it relates to different workplace trends, market conditions, hiring trends and in this case productivity trends," said Lauren Coker, regional manager for Robert Half International. "The surveys allow businesses to have a finger on the pulse of things that may be of interest to them."

RHI has offices in Richmond and Norfolk and is based in Menlo Park, Calif. It has additional divisions including Robert Half Finance & Accounting and Robert Half Management Resources, OfficeTeam, Robert Half Technology, Robert Half Legal, The Creative Group.

On the survey, senior managers were asked, "In general, what is the least productive time of the day for employees?"

Thirty-seven percent cited the hours between 4 and 6 p.m. as the least productive and 28 percent said 2 to 4 p.m.

"I think ultimately all workers experience different highs and lows in productivity throughout the course of the day," Coker said. "By the time the afternoon rolls around they may be tired. Most people are energetic in the mornings."

Raising productivity in work environment depends on several key factors that include motivating employees, setting goals, praising employees, setting guidelines in the workplace and maintaining a good office environment.

Coker spoke with Inside Business on how to avoid the afternoon slump and being more productive. The following are comments she made in that interview:

Plan ahead and don't

push off projects

It's important that employees make sure that they don't push off projects until late in the afternoon especially if they know they're less productive during this time of the day. Employees need to be attuned to their highest productive times and organize their day accordingly. This allows employees to track their tasks and learn which important projects need their attention immediately. Keeping a list of tasks allows employees to cross off what they have done and helps them move on to the next thing.

Eat well and take breaks

One way to avoid that afternoon slump is by making sure that you eat a nutritious meal. Avoid high carb foods because they have a tendency to make you crash afterwards. Also make sure you're eating highly nutritious snacks throughout the day. This can keep you from crashing after a large meal. If employees are feeling extremely tired and unproductive, they should take a break, walk around and get some fresh air. This allows you to get refocused and reenergize your workday.

Avoiding boredom at work

This may have something to do with employees being unproductive. Planning out your day may prevent this from happening. Again, it's important that you make a list of the things you want to accomplish in a workday. If you find yourself losing focus, check e-mail or voice mail messages. These are tasks where you don't have to be completely focused. Employees can also change up their day-to-day routine so that each day and task doesn't seem repetitive.

Challenging employees

If employers notice that productivity in the afternoon starts to taper off, then perhaps they need to schedule more interactive and challenging tasks early in the day - like brainstorming sessions - at a time when the workforce is more productive. Keep meetings on track so that people will have time to get back to their schedules. Some employers should look into offering flexible work schedules. If you have employees that aren't productive in the mornings, perhaps coming in a little later may be more beneficial to them. It really depends on the needs of an organization and what makes sense to their staffing needs.

Setting goals

Employees should know what is expected of them in order to be successful in their positions. Communication between them and their employer is extremely important. They need to be attuned to what time of day they are most productive and make sure their schedule aligns with their needs. nib