The stock market isn’t the only thing that is sustaining losses. When it comes to productivity, American workers are too. Let’s take a look at some numbers:

Well, you aren’t alone. In 2005, Basex, a New York research firm, released a study that found that office distractions ate up 2.1 hours a day for the average worker. Another study by Professor Gloria Mark and her then graduate student Victor Gonzalez of the University of California at Irvine set out to observe office workers in action. According to Marks it was “far worse than I could ever have imagined”. Here’s what they found:

• The average U.S. executive wastes six weeks per year searching for missing information in messy desks and files. (That translates into one hour per day) –The Wall Street Journal.
  
• According to Datapro/Gartner Group the average employee spends 400 hours per year searching for paper documents.
  
• A survey of 1,000 middle managers of large companies in the U.S. and U.K. found that 59% miss important information almost every day because it exists within the company but they cannot find it –Accenture, Wall Street Journal, May 14, 2007.
  
• Of managers surveyed by Reuters:
  • 49% feel they are often unable to handle the volumes of information received.
  • 38% waste substantial time trying to locate information.
  • 47% say collection of information distracts from their main job responsibilities.

If these numbers resonate with you, than perhaps it’s time to look at the economics of your situation. One study says we spend approximately 240 hours a year looking for information, another says it’s as high as 400 hours. Let’s split the difference and call it 320 hours. Now, take your salary and break it down into an hourly rate – using a 40 hour work week. Take that dollar figure and multiply it by 320 to get what disorganization is costing you. Here is an example:

If a professional earns $50,000/year, the hourly salary is $24. Multiplied by 320 equals $7,680 of annual salary that is not used productively. Now, multiply that through your workgroup or your entire organization.

Is the example above in line with your business plan? If not, then it’s time to take a look at how you handle workload management, paper, e-mail, and e-document management.

Productivity Pointer Want to jazz up your bullets a bit in a Word document? Here’s how: Customize Bullets Format > Bullets and Numbering Click on one of the Styles and the Customize Option will appear Click Customize > Select either: Font Character Picture

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