Social media trends threatening workplace productivity, say workers

“Lazy Girl Jobs”, “Bare Minimum Mondays” – social media trends such as these are threatening workplace productivity, according to a report.

For starters, both employers and employees say that workplace productivity is at a high level: More than nine in 10 (92%) hiring managers feel the employees at their company are productive, with 40% reporting employees are very productive.

And almost all job seekers (95%) say they are productive at work, with half (52%) reporting they are very productive, finds the survey by Express Employment Professionals.

But such social media trends are affecting job seekers in the workplace as they negatively impact:

• mental health (42%)
• motivation to develop career skills (41%)
• employee commitment to their job (39%)
• productivity (35%).

Overall, 68% of hiring managers report an increase in employee productivity compared to one year ago, according to a previous Robert Half report.

How are organizations increasing productivity?

To bolster employee engagement, nearly nine in 10 (88%) employers say they are taking steps to further improve productivity and employee morale, which job seekers welcome, according to the Express report, based on surveys in May and June: one among 504 Canadian hiring decision-makers and one among 505 Canadian adults.

To do this, employers are:

• encouraging small breaks throughout the workday (46%)
• providing mental health resources (42%)
• offering wellness training and workshops (34%)
• allowing longer lunch breaks (26%)
• reducing noise and workplace distractions (26%)
• incorporating AI to do low-value tasks or help employees organize tasks and projects (24%)

This aligns with what job seekers say companies can do to help them be more productive. Indeed, an even higher proportion of job seekers than employers say encouraging small breaks (59%), offering mental health resources (58%) and offering wellness and training workshops (51%) would be helpful.

“High-performing companies usually employ top talent, and one of the biggest risks in this bustling economy is burnout,” says Bill Stoller, Express Employment International CEO. “By offering employees tools and strategies to take care of themselves, companies can not only recruit the best of the best, but retain them, as well.”

There is a clear relationship between employee productivity and corporate performance, and having a highly productive workforce enables organizations “to quickly adapt to changing market demands, seize opportunities, and maintain a competitive edge over their competitors,” says TMCnet.

“Productivity improvement is a driving force behind growth, profitability, and sustainability, allowing businesses to thrive in dynamic and challenging environments. Overall, investing in strategies aimed at increasing and maintaining high levels of employee productivity is critical to long-term success.”

Political conversations at work lead to lower productivity, according to a previous report.