www.glasgowchamberofcommerce.com 29
Time to work smarter G
Greater collaboration and teamwork in an engaged workforce are key to improved productivity
lasgow employers must rethink how staff get their work done, with teamwork and collaboration being
the essential ingredients in improving productivity. The London School of Economics’
Power of Productivity Report, commissioned by Vodafone, paints a picture of productivity across the UK from a top-level business perspective. It found there is potential for a lift in productivity by as much as 20 per cent nationwide if three key levers are looked at in unison. These are management practices, effective technology implementation and smarter, flexible working. On the back of this, a follow-up
report, Working in the UK, looked at productivity through the lens of employees, observing what helps or hinders personal productivity on a day- to-day basis. The study asked 3,019 UK employees to rate their productivity out of ten, with 23 per cent admitting to feeling “unproductive” at work. Using Office for National Statistics figures, this equates to seven million workers nationwide, while the percentage rose to 28 per cent among Gen Z employees who gave themselves
an “unproductive” score of 0-6 out of 10. In Scotland, 33 per cent of employees
rated themselves as very productive, the highest of any part of the UK. The study found that Scots improve their productivity by prioritising important work (66 per cent), taking regular breaks (41 per cent), doing each task as they get it (36 per cent), and structuring their days to do harder tasks first (25 per cent). But there was also a need for a sense of belonging and to be part of a wider team. “A more engaged, productive and responsive workforce can be achieved through supporting different employees’ working patterns and preferences. Getting people together is important for fostering collaboration and teamwork in a competitive environment where being able to work in a fast, agile fashion is highly valued for business success. Where it’s not possible or practical to get people together physically to complete tasks, there needs to be the right technology in place to enable employees to virtually collaborate,” said Kim Moran-Hogg, Vodafone’s Head of Regional Business for Scotland and Northern Ireland. Forty-two per cent of Scottish
employees have commutes of more than 30 minutes each day, with 19 per
cent of all employees who commute saying this time allows them to fit more work into their day and 22 per cent saying access to technology helps them be productive on their journey. “It is no wonder then that only a
quarter of Scots are working from the office every working day. We found that 19 per cent work from their customers’ office at least once a week. This, combined with the rise in demand for 24/7 customer care, suggests that a more agile approach to working – that stretches across management practices and technology strategies – is the best way to cater for modern ways of working,” said Kim. The studies show that technology is
a defining contributor to an employee’s productivity in Scotland. A massive 68 per cent of Scots use their mobiles for work, suggesting that a smartphone is now seen as a vital business tool. Meanwhile, two in five (44 per cent) are still communicating in person, suggesting there could be potential for services such as Skype or Slack to enable this face-to-face contact for a mobile workforce. In today’s digital age, employers have an opportunity to embrace technology to help them thrive in a competitive landscape.
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