Three Points to Increase Productivity Even in Telework

1. Is it true that "telework decreases productivity?"

Before introducing points to enhance productivity in telework, we will first confirm whether productivity actually decreases during telework. We will also examine the causes of productivity decline during telework. This will be based on the results of a survey conducted by Adobe Inc. in June 2020.

According to the survey results, nearly half of the respondents, 43%, reported that their productivity decreases when working remotely.

The following three points are cited as causes of decreased productivity.
・Unorganized work environment
・Difficulty concentrating
・Difficulty obtaining cooperation from colleagues

The results of this survey indicate that a decline in productivity is occurring due to the collapse of the prerequisites for working.
The previous way of working assumed that employees would gather at the company as a "hub" to work.
With equipment and facilities, as well as people gathering, the working environment was fully equipped. When you went to the office, high-spec equipment was available, and the network was robust. Necessary communication for work could be achieved with just a short walk. Indeed, going to the office meant that everything was in place.

However, when it comes to telework, this premise collapses. Since it was assumed that one would go to a fully equipped office, the working environment at home is not set up. Even if the working environment is in place, many people may find it difficult to concentrate at home due to numerous distractions. Additionally, there are cases where having family at home makes it impossible to create a suitable working environment.

3 Key Points to Enhance Productivity Even Under Telework

In the previous chapter, we discussed that many people reported a decrease in productivity during telework, as well as the reasons for this decline. In this chapter, we will introduce three key points to enhance productivity even while working remotely, based on the previous chapter.

1. Home Environment Setup

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

For example, let's consider someone working at a web-based company. For companies where an internet environment is essential, the speed of the network directly affects the quality of work. If the network is slow, it will be difficult to work at the same pace as the company. To give an even more extreme example, it is possible that one cannot do their job because they do not have a computer at home.

It is ideal to create an environment equivalent to that of the company, but let's try to get as close as possible to that environment.
As a company, providing a remote work allowance is one way to ask individuals to improve their work environment. There are various aspects of the environment that differ from person to person.
Therefore, by providing a remote work allowance, let's encourage individuals to enhance their productivity.

2. Establishing an environment for easy communication

The second is to create an environment where communication can be easily established.
Because this little bit of communication can greatly change the speed of work.

Let's remember our experiences working at the company.
Communication was easy between superiors and subordinates, as well as among colleagues.
We were able to convey our thoughts and feelings in real-time, such as saying, "Please have the materials ready by next week." and "Let's brainstorm ideas about future store opening plans."

However, with the shift to telework, it has become difficult to engage in this little bit of communication.
Additionally, since communication has shifted to a text-based format, the time required to convey and comprehend messages has increased. Other issues, such as misunderstandings and lack of understanding, have also led to a decrease in productivity.

If productivity decreases due to a lack of communication, the measures a company can take are simple.
Let's aim to improve productivity by providing easy-to-use communication tools.
Specific measures include preparing video call tools and chat tools such as Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Slack, and Chatwork.

Video calls allow you to read the other person's expressions while conversing. Although it is inferior to real-life communication, it still conveys more non-verbal messages than just a voice call.

Chat tools are essential for casual communication. They allow for easy communication, such as confirming documents and meeting times.

3. Visualization of Business Flow and Creation of Business Manuals

The third is to visualize business flows and create business manuals.
Because having a visualization of business flows and business manuals allows everyone to ensure a certain quality standard.

As mentioned earlier, when working remotely, it becomes difficult to have small communications. In the previous working style, you could resolve unclear points by asking your supervisors or colleagues around you.

Even with the introduction of communication tools for telework, it should be easy to ask questions. However, whether you will receive answers in real-time is not guaranteed. If the other party is busy or attending another meeting, responses will be delayed. This can lead to a decrease in productivity.

If there are parts that are unclear and productivity decreases, the measures a company can take are actually quite simple. Just provide the answers.

Specifically, it involves visualizing business workflows and creating operational manuals. By preparing reference materials, if one can resolve issues independently, there will be no need to ask questions. This will also allow work to progress smoothly. Additionally, by following the manuals, anyone can achieve a consistent quality standard.

3. For visualizing business flows and business manuals, contact Human Science.

We introduced the visualization of business flows and the creation of business manuals as means to improve productivity in telework. However, visualizing business flows and creating business manuals require a lot of effort. It may be a bit challenging to create them alongside regular duties.

Therefore, outsourcing is recommended. It is best to leave it to professionals who specialize in visualizing business flows and creating operational 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 section, we will introduce three reasons to recommend Human Science.

1. Extensive manual production experience, primarily with large and global companies

Human Science has a wealth of experience in creating operational manuals, primarily in the manufacturing and IT industries, since 1985. We have had prestigious clients such as Microsoft Japan, Mitsubishi Electric, and Cygames.

At Human Science, we also support multilingual manuals and video manuals to accommodate globalization. We currently support approximately 40 languages, and the number of cases handled for local employees overseas has been increasing year by year.

2. Experienced consultants support from research to output

The creation of business manuals is handled by experienced consultants proudly representing Human Science. Our skilled consultants, with over 10 years of experience, will propose clearer business manuals. From research and analysis of operations to planning and actual manual creation, the consultants will be responsible for the entire process.

You can rest assured even if there are no documents that serve as the basis for the business manual. Our dedicated consultants will conduct interviews, making it possible to create a manual even from the stage where no documents exist. They will also propose improvements to the current manual, pursuing the ideal form of the manual.

3. We provide not only manualization but also support for establishment.

Some companies that handle manual creation are responsible for the entire process of creating manuals. Of course, after the manual is created, it becomes an issue for the organization that will operate it, so this can be considered one form of outsourcing.
However, Human Science also takes charge of the important phase after manual creation, which is "establishment."
For example, even after the manual is created, we conduct updates and hold manual creation seminars. By implementing various measures, we approach the establishment of the manual in the field.<br/>Simply creating a manual will only yield a certain level of effectiveness. However, by having many employees use the created manual, its effectiveness will be significantly enhanced.

4. Summary

How was it?
This time, we introduced three points to enhance productivity even while teleworking.
There are points that individuals can address and points that companies should tackle to improve productivity during telework. There is no doubt that telework will continue to expand in the future. We hope you can use this article as a reference and start with the points that are easy to tackle.