According to research from Deloitte, 21st–century workers check their cell phones up to 150 times a day, and those 150 actions create stress, distraction and reduced productivity during the workday. Today’s employees are overworked and more distracted than ever before, and Deloitte estimates that nearly $10 million is lost every year from mid-size companies thanks to distraction. If you are worried your workforce is distracted, use these strategies to help them stay focused and engaged.

Allow More Flexibility

One of the biggest distractions to the American workers is their family. Parents worry about their children when they are at work, and many adults are now acting as caretakers for their own parents. Workers stress about drop-offs, pick-ups, the health of their families and whether they are giving their loved ones as much attention as they deserve.

Flexible scheduling and remote work opportunities provide employees with more balance in their lives. Allowing people to start an hour later or leave an hour earlier or even work from home one or two days a week can alleviate a lot of their distractions, and it can also reduce absenteeism and improve employee loyalty.

Set Clear Expectations and Priorities

Every employee should be clear on the priorities and deadlines for their tasks and deliverables. Any time something is assigned, it should include a high, medium or low priority designation and a date for completion. This will help your employees manage their time better throughout the day. If they assume everything on their list is a low priority, they are much more likely to get sucked into a lengthy group text chat, discuss Game of Thrones around the water cooler or take a long phone call from their spouse.

Let Employees Have Boundaries

People need time to relax, recharge their batteries and not think about work. Encourage your employees to take a real lunch break where they leave the office and get a change of scenery. They can spend that lunch hour catching up on personal business. Also, assign backups and require people use their email out of office messages, so when an employee takes a vacation or calls off due to illness, they aren’t bothered by work calls and emails.

Separate the Talkers

Remember back to your school days. Teachers would often reassign seats when people got a little too talkative in class. If you notice that there is a lot of socializing going on in the office, try to break it up by reassigning desks. It will separate the cliques and it will provide employees with a refreshing change of scenery.

If you are looking for skilled, experienced and focused engineering professionals with the skills to help your firm succeed, contact the recruiting experts at PEAK Technical Staffing today.

About PEAK

PEAK Technical Staffing is a leading provider of engineering staffing services, offering contract staffing, contract-to-hire and direct hire solutions throughout the United States. With nearly fifty years of technical recruiting experience, we find solutions that meet more than just your technical requirements.

We work closely with you to make sure that every candidate fits your company’s unique needs and culture.

If you are looking for skilled, experienced engineering professionals to help your business succeed, contact the recruiting experts at PEAK Technical Staffing today.