6 Productivity Issues In the Workplace You Can Fix With Technology

Some productivity issues in the workplace are caused by poor working conditions—like a noisy office or bad lighting. 

Others happen because of bad management—like a lack of communication or outdated policies. 

But many productivity problems happen because of seemingly minor annoyances that chip away at our patience (and our momentum) over time. Here are six of the most common workplace challenges and how to fix them with the right technology. 

The Biggest Productivity Issues In the Workplace

1. Parking Problems 

Employee parking can be a nightmare, especially at a fast-growing company. There always seem to be more vehicles than spaces. Assigning permanent parking spaces can alleviate some of these frustrations, but it can also lead to a lot of unused spaces — especially if you have rotating contractors or employees who aren’t in the office every day.

The Solution: Use a workplace app that allows employees to reserve a parking space in advance when they know they’ll be in the office. If they know they’ll be out on vacation for the week, they can cancel their parking spot and make it available to someone else. 

2. Difficulty Navigating The Workplace

Remember how overwhelming it felt to be a new student on a college campus? That’s exactly how employees feel on today’s expansive corporate campuses. It takes time to navigate multiple buildings, floors and departments, especially if you’re new or visiting from another location. 

The Solution: Wayfinding software gives employees and visitors turn-by-turn directions to any location, allowing them to quickly and easily find their way around. (It’s like having Google Maps for your workplace!)

3. Inability To Find Colleagues

The agile work environment is replacing assigned seats at many organizations. In a 2018 CBRE survey, 52 percent of executives said they planned to implement some level of unassigned seating within the next three years.

While this can be a great way to improve space utilization and encourage collaboration, it’s hard for employees to work together if they can’t find each other! 

The Solution: Use a workplace app that integrates with your employee directory and room reservation software so you can see where everyone is working in real time.

4. Conference Room Scheduling Nightmares 

Speaking of room reservations…have you ever been kicked out of a room in the middle of a meeting? Or had to improvise by taking a meeting in the stairwell because you couldn’t find an open room? 

These conference room scheduling nightmares aren’t just frustrating; they’re also among the most disruptive productivity issues in the workplace. 

The Solution: Use room reservation software along with room scheduling panels employees can use to see availability in real time. If they need to grab a room on the go, they can just tap the panel to reserve it—without worrying about being interrupted later. 

5. Broken Equipment

Whether it’s a broken chair, a malfunctioning laptop or a conference room speaker that makes meetings painfully difficult, equipment issues can seriously hinder workplace productivity. 

The Solution: Give employees an easy way to submit service requests. It should be as simple as using a mobile app. 

6. Lack of Communication With Visitors 

Imagine you have several clients coming to the office for an all-day work session. How much thought have you given to their visit? For instance: 

• Do they know how to find your building, floor and office? 
• How to access your WiFi? 
• Where to eat lunch?
• Where to take an important call later in the day? 
• Do others at your company know who they are so they can make them feel welcome? 

You want visitors to feel welcome so they’ll want to come back and continue to do business with you. You also want to make the most of their visit while they’re here. And if they’re distracted because they’re trying to find their way around or worried about the work they’re missing, your time together won’t be as productive as it could be. 

The solution: Use visitor management software to streamline the check-in process. (And if you use iOFFICE’s software, you’ll soon be able to use it to pre-register guests, send welcome emails and more!) 

The Impact of Minimizing Workplace Productivity Issues 

These small issues can make a big difference in employee productivity and the overall experience at your workplace. 

Improving productivity can actually have a greater impact on your bottom line than reducing real estate costs.

As Global Workplace Analytics President Kate Lister notes in her employee productivity equation, improving employee productivity by 18 minutes a day can have a total annual impact of $1.6 million for a company with 500 employees. 

To achieve the same financial impact through reductions in real estate, your company would have to reduce office space by 25 percent.

If you haven’t given much thought to these workplace productivity issues because they seemed insignificant, maybe it’s time to give them a second look.