A study in Australia last year entitled Lost Focus: The Cost of Distraction on Productivity in the Modern Workplace found that 92% of employers consider lost focus to be a major problem, with 80% of workers saying that cannot go one hour without being distracted. Lack of focus results in loss of productivity, lack of creativity, accidents, and a general hit to your bottom line. One study found that the cost of lost focus to U.S. businesses in 2023 was $1.4 trillion. I can only guess what the cost is to your small business. Understand what’s causing the lack of focus in your employees and what you can do about it.
Causes of lost focus
The Australian study found that disruptions are the primary cause of lost focus. They arise from:
- Frequently checking email (67% say they do this over 10 times a day)
- Colleague interruptions (71% cite this as a main distraction)
- Phone calls (62% point to this as a disruption)
- Burnout prevalence (68% of employees claimed to experience this in the past year)
There aren’t the only causes of lost focus. Some other factors include:
- Depression and sleep disorders
- Medication side effects
- Excessive drinking
- Information overload
And technology is also being blamed for lost focus and a shortened attention span. Shockingly, the average attention span today is only 8.25 seconds. In 2012, it was 75 seconds. In 2004 it was 150 seconds (more than 2 minutes)! Remember when TV commercials were a minute long? Now they’re 6 seconds, and you can guess why. It’s no surprise to you that employees spend considerable time each day on their smartphones on personal matters (e.g., checking Instagram and their other social media sites). And they use company Internet access to read the news, shop, or do other personal tasks.
What can you do?
As a small business owner, you can take action to enhance focus. Here are some ideas:
- Limit distractions. Set boundaries for co-workers. Encourage employees to turn off notifications from messaging apps.
- Set workday limitations. Consider a no-email policy for certain hours (assuming this doesn’t disrupt business operations). Schedule fewer and shorter meetings.
- Create a favorable environment. Address noises that can cause distractions. Permit the use of noise-canceling headphones where appropriate.
- Boost mental clarity. Encourage breaks to give employees time to relax and recharge. Perhaps they want to use the time for walks or meditation. Harvard Medical School offers tips to improve concentration and sharpen focus.
- Support cognitive training. Cognitive training is a way to engage employees to improve focus, response times, and attention. Provide games to help. You don’t have to spend money; just encourage employees to do Sudoku, Scrabble, crossword puzzles, chess, and other games that require focus, memory, and problem-solving skills.
- Encourage a healthy lifestyle. If your staff is healthy, they’re more likely to stay focused. Encourage hydration, physical activity, sufficient sleep, etc.
Final thought
Employees can increase their attention span. And they can gain focus. It won’t happen without action. Small business owners who want to get employees to focus better and longer on business matters need to be proactive.
For additional insight, find blogs listed here concerning employee productivity.
