3 points to increase productivity even in telework

1. Is "Does telework decrease productivity?" true?

Before introducing the points to increase productivity in teleworking, let's first confirm whether productivity actually decreases in teleworking. We will also confirm the causes of decreased productivity during teleworking. This time, we will use the results of a survey conducted by Adobe Co., Ltd. in June 2020 as a basis.

According to the survey results, nearly half of the respondents, 43%, answered that productivity decreases with teleworking.

And there are three main reasons for the decrease in productivity:
・Unsuitable working environment
・Difficulty in concentrating
・Lack of cooperation from colleagues

From this survey, it can be seen that the decrease in productivity is due to the collapse of the premise for working.
The previous way of working assumed that employees would gather and work at the "hub" of the company.
Not only facilities and equipment, but also people would gather, creating an environment where everything needed for work was available. If you went to the company, high-spec equipment was available and the network was also well-equipped. With just a short walk, you could have the necessary communication for work. It was truly a situation where everything was available at the company.

However, when it comes to teleworking, this premise will be disrupted. Since everything was based on going to a company where everything was in place, the work environment at home has not been established. Even if the work environment is in place, there are many people who cannot concentrate at home due to various temptations. In addition, there are cases where the work environment cannot be created due to the presence of family members.

2. 3 Points to Increase Productivity Even Under Telework

In the previous chapter, many respondents answered that productivity decreases during telework, and we also explained the causes of decreased productivity. In this chapter, based on the previous chapter, we will introduce three points to increase productivity even during telework.

1. Home Environment Maintenance

The first step is to improve your home environment.
Because if your working environment is not good, your productivity will not increase.

For example, let's consider someone who works for a web-based company. For companies that rely on the internet, network speed is directly linked to the quality of work. If the network is slow, it will be difficult to keep up with the pace of the company's work. In extreme cases, it may even be impossible to do work for the company if you don't have a computer at home.

It is ideal to have the same environment as the company, but let's try to get as close as possible by setting up the environment.
As a company, one response is to provide a telecommuting allowance and ask individuals to prepare their own environment. There are individual differences in terms of the environment.
Therefore, by providing a telecommuting allowance, let's arrange for individuals to improve their productivity.

2. Development of an environment where easy communication can be achieved

The second is to create an environment where communication can be easily conducted.
Because even this small communication can greatly affect the speed of work.

Let's remember working at the company.
We were able to communicate easily with our superiors, subordinates, and colleagues.
"We need the documents by next week." "Let's brainstorm ideas for future store expansion plans." We were able to convey our thoughts and feelings in real time.

However, due to the shift to telework, it has become difficult to have this small communication.
Also, with the change to text-based communication, the time to convey and read has increased. In addition, misunderstandings and lack of understanding have led to a decrease in productivity.

If lack of communication leads to decreased productivity, the solution for a company is simple.
Let's improve productivity by providing easy-to-use communication tools.
Specific measures include preparing video call and chat tools such as Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Slack, and Chatworks.

Video calls allow you to have conversations while reading your partner's facial expressions. While it may not be as effective as real-life communication, it still conveys non-verbal messages better than just a phone call.

Chat tools are essential for casual communication. You can easily communicate by checking documents or meeting times.

3. Visualization of business flow and creation of operation manuals

The third is to visualize the business flow and create operation manuals.
Because having a visualized business flow and operation manuals allows everyone to ensure a certain level of quality.

As mentioned earlier, it becomes difficult to communicate when working remotely. In the previous way of working, it was possible to solve problems by asking questions to superiors and colleagues around us.

Even with teleworking, it should be easy to ask questions by introducing communication tools. However, it is not always the case that you will receive an immediate response. If the other person is busy or attending another meeting, the answer may be delayed. This can lead to a decrease in productivity.

If there are parts that you do not understand, the productivity will decrease, so the solution for companies is very simple. Just provide the answer.

Specifically, it is the visualization of business flow and creation of business manuals. By preparing reference materials, you can solve problems on your own without needing to ask questions. Additionally, work will progress smoothly. By following the manual, anyone can achieve a certain level of quality standards.

3. Visualize your business flow and create business manuals with Human Science Co., Ltd.

As a means of improving productivity in teleworking, we introduced the visualization of business flows and the creation of business manuals. However, visualizing business flows and creating business manuals requires a lot of effort. It may be a bit difficult to create them while doing regular work.

Outsourcing is recommended there. It is best to leave it to professionals who specialize in visualizing business flows and creating business manuals.

Human Science is a professional in creating business manuals with a track record of 215 companies and 2854 manuals created. Of course, there are many companies that can create business manuals. In this chapter, we will introduce three reasons why we recommend Human Science.

1. Extensive track record in manual production for large and global corporations

Human Science has a track record of creating numerous operation manuals for manufacturing and IT industries since 1985. Our clients include renowned companies such as Microsoft Japan Co., Ltd., Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, and Cygames, Inc.

Human Science Co., Ltd. also supports globalization by providing multilingual and video manuals. We currently support approximately 40 languages and the number of cases for overseas local employees is increasing every year.

2. Experienced consultants support from investigation to output

The consultant who will be involved in creating business manuals is the experienced consultant that Human Science boasts. Skilled consultants with over 10 years of experience will propose easier-to-understand business manuals. Consultants will be in charge of everything from investigating and analyzing business, planning, to actually creating the manual.

You can rest assured even if there is no material that serves as the basis for the business manual. Our assigned consultant will conduct a hearing, making it possible to create a manual even from the stage where there is no material. In addition, they will propose improvement plans for the current manual, pursuing the ideal form of the manual.

3. Not only manualization, but also support for establishment is being carried out.

Among the companies that handle manual creation, there are also companies that are responsible for the entire process of manual creation. Of course, after manual creation, it becomes a problem for the operating organization, so it can be said to be one form of outsourcing.
However, Human Science also handles the important phase of "institutionalization" after manual creation.
For example, even after manual creation, we will continue to update the manual and hold manual creation seminars. By implementing various measures, we approach to ensure that the manual is firmly established in the field. Just creating a manual will only result in a certain level of effectiveness. However, the effectiveness of the manual will be even higher if it is used by many employees.

4. Summary

How was it?
This time, we introduced three points to increase productivity even during telework.
There are points that individuals can handle to improve productivity during telework, and points that companies should work on. There is no doubt that telework will continue to expand in the future. We hope you will refer to this article and start with the points that are easy to work on.