Productivity

Companies are increasingly blocking employees from accessing Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and the like citing concerns over security and productivity. But in building eWalls to keep out danger, organizations may also be keeping out knowledge.

If you fancy yourself as a bit of a multi-tasker, I've got news for you. When you multitask, you might think you're doing a lot of work, but you're not doing most (or any) of it well. Why? Because the brain can only concentrate on one task at a time.

Often, we could do that unwelcome task first thing in the morning but we say we'll do it later. However, as the day goes on there are more interruptions and more demands from others and it becomes more and more difficult to do what we've postponed.

There are two very difficult things to deal with as a manger. The first is hiring the right people. The second is firing someone. The the rule to live by here is to "hire slowly and fire quickly".

Can you put a cost on bad manners? Does politeness pay? According to a US business school professor, the answer is an emphatic "yes" – in fact the cost of bad behaviour can run into millions.

Seems there are people out there that won't work for an employer who won't let them access Facebook from the office. Let me explain what I think of that....

American unemployment may be at its highest point for more than a quarter of a century, but that doesn't mean managers are finding it any easier to hire people with skills they need.

The traditional slash and hack approach to surviving a recession is the perfect way to lose those talented employees who will be key to giving you a competitive edge when the upturn comes.

If you want your organisation to succeed over the long term, performance management needs to be much more than simply ensuring your team is ticking the boxes to meet targets.

Finisher is a term used in American football circles to describe a player who never lets up until that last whistle blows. Sports teams need finishers to successfully compete. Businesses need finishers, too. But how do you find and cultivate them?

One of David's employees generates around 30% of his company's sales. But she is a nightmare to work with, alienating colleagues and poisoning the atmosphere. Dan Bobinski suggests how to deal with the situation.

No one expects managers to be relaxed in the current environment. But under-pressure bosses who demand instant and unreasonable results are risking a backlash.

Despite the financial meltdown, many companies continue to claim that huge salaries and bonuses are essential to attracting and retaining talent. But the evidence suggests otherwise. Not only are people are not driven primarily by money, but the power of money can be deeply counter-productive.

It's official. The average manager spends far more of their time on admin and pushing paper around a desk than they do actually managing their people.

I'm just a lowly manager. The big things – like global economic melt-down - are out of my control. So I'm going to turn off the news for a while and focus on the little things that make a manager's life at work so complicated.

In most offices, the general rule is that you work twice as hard as the guy sitting next to you. Well, what if you aren't wired that way? What if you just happen to get your work done and want to take a little time to stretch and relax? Hey, what if you just want a normal life?

The UK is taking a turn back to the Dickensian era it seems. According to a survey from Vodaphone, more than one-third of UK businesses have banned social networking sites from the workplace.

It's official. Endless meetings and the constant deluge of emails really do drain most of us of the will to live, let alone work effectively.

Almost one in three executives who change companies – and one in five who move within the same organization – are not delivering, even after two years on the job.

Social networking sites are fast becoming public enemy number one in the workplace. In fact, if you believe everything you read in the media, it's a wonder that anybody does any work at all in between staying on top of their virtual social lives.

Lean Six Sigma is all very well, but it doesn't take into account intangibles. And ignoring things they can't be measured - like integrity, team spirit, dedication and loyalty - is downright dangerous.

If you are unhappy with someone's performance then you need to do something about it. Ignoring the problem isn't going to make it go away.

If you are unhappy with someone's performance then you need to do something about it. Ignoring the problem isn't going to make it go away.

A new study has suggested that those firms which adopt a comprehensive and consistent approach to people management perform better.

Feeling overwhelmed? Running just to stand still? What you need is not more hours in the day, it's just 15 minutes of contemplative down time that's reserved for you and you alone.

If you want to know how an apparently competent manager can preside over the destruction of team morale and productivity and the exodus of their best staff, this true story provides some salutary lessons.

It's not just sneezing or yawning that can be catching. Many managers perform poorly when trying to deal with staff who are difficult or not delivering.

How many times have you wished that you had more time? These eight time management tips can give you just that.

How many times have you wished that you had more time? These eight time management tips can give you just that.

How many times have you wished that you had more time? These eight time management tips can give you just that.

How many times have you wished that you had more time? These eight time management tips can give you just that.

They've been accused of taking more time off, crippling the healthcare system and being less likely to land a decent job. Now overweight Americans are being told they work too slowly.

Is your computer making you more efficient and productive or is it creating so much stress in your life that your brain no longer performs at its best?

Teams perform better when they are all thinking the same thing, new research has suggested, even if it is only to be in complete agreement that you are a dreadful manager.

More and more employers are disciplining social networking time-wasters, as it becomes clear the perils of sites such as Facebook go far leaving posting cyber dirt that might return to haunt you.

Burnout is a slow burn – a process, not an event. That's why it can be so difficult to acknowledge that it is affecting you. But when people are viewed simply as functions, burnout can be built into the very structure of an organization.

If you fancy sneaking in a little web surfing at work, the place to head to is Finland, where occasional surfing really isn't seen as a problem in the Finnish workplace.

Even organisations that acknowledge the vital role staff play in achieving success are failing to give them sufficient help and support to deliver to their full potential.

Talk about nice work if you can get it! In Japan, six civil servants have been caught spending their days working diligently – but not on their jobs.

Eight out of 10 managers are so busy running on the spot just managing that they have no time to step back, think about the bigger picture or plan for the future.

One in three British managers is so afraid to take time off work that they will drag themselves into the office from their sick-bed if they have to.

Constant pressure to increase efficiency and boost profitability is redefining the nature of work for millions of Americans. But it is also creating a demoralized, disengaged and far less productive workforce.

If you've ever been unfavorably compared to Einstein, you can take heart. In fact, if you've ever been told that you're "hardly an Einstein", you may actually be closer to the great physicist than you think.

A new method of predicting who is likely to succeed in a managerial role and who is likely to fail could herald a revolution in the way that organizations recruit and groom the managers of the future.

If you're part of management or on an executive team, allow me to say this. Stop making the mistake of ignoring your team's production capability. Production by itself can be propped up only so long.

Forget all the management babble. According to new research, if you really want to create a successful, productive workplace, all you need to do is to build trust, a sense of purpose and strong human relationships.

What's an employee worth? Should we measure it? Can we measure it? The answer is an emphatic 'yes' – and a rigorous analysis of what employees cost and the value they bring reveals huge financial losses or gains depending on how well they perform.

Here's a question for you. Is it time for you to start seeing more of other people rather than more of the computer? Could it be time to focus more on real life than on Second Life?

Staff who ping those "humorous" emails around the office with funny attachments are not just irritating, they are also a significant drain on a company's productivity.

An average of 72 million working hours are lost in Britain every week because of bad time management - thats 13 working days a year for each employee.

Some of Sue's employees don't clock in or out whenever they want to take long lunches or leave early. When asked they cannot remember when they came in or left. How can she get a grip on this situation?

Some of Sue's employees don't clock in or out whenever they want to take long lunches or leave early. When asked they cannot remember when they came in or left. How can she get a grip on this situation?

Some of Sue's employees don't clock in or out whenever they want to take long lunches or leave early. When asked they cannot remember when they came in or left. How can she get a grip on this situation?

Some of Sue's employees don't clock in or out whenever they want to take long lunches or leave early. When asked they cannot remember when they came in or left. How can she get a grip on this situation?

British businesses face a constant battle to find people who have the right skills or experience to do the job, with managers blaming skills shortages for a quarter of their unfilled vacancies.

Ellen works long hours and spends most of her days in meetings. But now her boss wants her to take on even more projects. She feels like she can barely keep her head above water as it now stands. What should she do?

Firms that begin to export boost their business productivity by up to a third in the first year and are more likely to stay in business as a result, according to new research by UK Trade & Investment.

Most of us are tired of wasting time at unfocused meetings, especially when they are supposed to be about strategy. So here are three simple rules to keep meetings moving and on target.

British managers love their face-to-face meetings, and will happily spend £17 billion having them, whether necessary or not.

Britain will start to suffer a corrosive loss of skilled jobs to rivals overseas if its universities do not begin to turn out more science, engineering and technology graduates soon, employers have warned.