When writing my second book 'Getting A Grip On The Paper War' I surveyed my 'Top Time Tips' ezine readers with three short questions about their preferred working style and how easily they're distracted by surrounding noise.
From 3867 ezine subscribers enrolled at the time (now around 11,500), we had a 12.5 per cent response rate, and that was without offering any delicious inducement such as a trip to Fiji! I'd tapped a raw nerve!
If you want the best productivity out of your staff, you might want to consider the following results:
* Prefer open plan - 9.8 per cent
* Prefer to work in a separate office, or away from others - 41.4 per cent
* Depends what they're doing. Need quiet when they're concentrating
- 41 per cent
* Don't mind, can work in any situation - 4.9 per cent
So am I saying open plan layouts are all bad? No. But I am saying that they need managing if you're to have any hope of reasonable efficiency in this heavily interruption-prone environment.
If open plan layout is a productivity drain in your organisation, check the following simple strategies. (You'll find each of them expanded in "Getting A Grip On The Paper War')
1. Quiet rooms - with a phone, a computer terminal and a door.
2. Headsets. Great as both a visual signal that you don't want to be disturbed, and also to block background noise. You may not even have music playing, but if you do, choose something that doesn't disrupt your thinking.
3. Red time/green time. Red time is a period of the day when no-one is allowed to interrupt you. Green time is when you will take interruptions, even though of course you're always busy. Create a signal that everyone recognises. The signal or symbol sends a silent visual message to potential interrupters (as long as team members are educated to take the issue seriously).
4. Shut the door (if you have one) for at least an hour a day, and allow no interruptions. This is an extension of the red time/green time strategy.
Management theory has gone too far down the 'I must be always there for my people' philosophy, to the point that many managers feel as though all they do is everybody else's work instead of their own. Result? They go home either exhausted from over-work and ridiculous hours or frustrated because they were so busy helping everyone else they never got their own work done. Bad plan!
5. Work from home some of the time, or somewhere off-site.
6. Hot desks. This is becoming fashionable in large firms with expensive CBD floor space. People who spend a lot of time out of office, e.g. sales reps or consultants, don't need a fully dedicated office. Instead, they either bring their files and laptop with them whenever they need to be at the office, or some companies have roll-out desks which are folded up and parked in storage whilst the owner is offsite.
In some cases the mobile worker books space; in other companies there are enough free spaces for whoever needs them. Typically a mobile workspace is only a small desk, a phone, power and an intranet connection or wireless capability. When each user leaves they take their personal items, leaving the space free for the next occupant.
Reader giveaway: We have 2 double passes (worth $190.00 each) to give away to each of Robyn's next Breakfast Clubs Palmerston North 30th October, Auckland 2nd November, Wellington 30th November.
To be in to win, email your entry now to jill@gettingagrip.com with Breakfast (NZ Herald Online) in the subject line. Entries close by 5pm Friday 26th October for Palmerston North and Auckland, Friday 23rd November for Wellington. For those who miss out, tickets and more details at: www.gettingagrip.com/breakfastclub/.
Robyn Pearce (known as the Time Queen) runs an international time management and productivity business, based in New Zealand. Get your free report 'How To Master Time In Only 90 Seconds' and ongoing time tips at gettingagrip.com. 
