Productivity is high but, what’s happened to INNOVATION?

 The studies from the Covid-era’s impact on the workforce are piling in these days, revealing the good, bad, and too-soon-to-tell impacts of the tumultuous pandemic. As we read them, we’re picking up some trends and balancing their findings with the feedback and input of our clients and candidates.  

As more companies push for employees to return to the office or a hybrid model, studies show they’re on the right path. Worker productivity has not been sacrificed in hybrid workplaces, and some studies confirm that productivity may in fact, have increased due to remote work. Whether it’s the commute in slippers, the lack of workplace interruptions, or the comfort of one’s own home, a recent Harvard Business School study found that productivity seemed highest when workers split their time between the office and home.

Managers skepticism surrounding remote work has eased, and while some companies continue to iron out the hybrid wrinkles, many have found a workable model that upholds productivity. But while e-mail traffic between employees can remain high, actual new ideas, innovation and creativity from workforces is down. Whether it’s fewer patent applications, products introductions, or less turnover in approaches or processes, a drop in creativity, and thereby, innovation is being confronted by managers coast to coast. In some industries, innovation is the backbone of the product, and crucial to a company’s measurable success. In others, it’s less tied to the bottom line than it is to an employee’s sense of purpose.

Companies fostering hybrid workplace innovation have relied on technology to help their remote employees ideate better. We’re not talking about a zoom meeting, but investments in technology that go beyond the standard applications – a recent Forbes article found that employees using professional audio devices were 12%-14% more likely to hear what was said in a virtual meeting than those who didn’t, and 70% of employees said that standardized professional cameras would help everyone participate better in online meetings.

One idea outlined in Entrepreneur is to set up an employee slack channel called “water cooler” where employees can have small talk on any array of issues. The purpose of these ideas is to help boost employee morale, connection, belonging and, idea generation. As Forbes magazine outlines, “it’s becoming clear that belonging will be the next great workplace experience metric.”

Our position? Deliver to your employees a sense of belonging within the culture of your company, and specifically, as creative team members who fuel the company’s wider innovative approach. In a hybrid work place, this must be a deliberate approach – schedule networking time, brain storming sessions, free time for conversation for team members both in and out of the office.

One’s ability to create, connect, and innovate within their group of colleagues can boost the collective outputs of the company. Productivity will grow in a more exponential way when it’s built upon the back of new ideas and innovative work.

Communication continues to be critical to engagement. Measure, share and celebrate new ideas, efficiencies, processes, designs, products and services. Identify the root and let teams know how these new approaches came together... because ultimately, we can all agree that, Together is Better!

How are you measuring innovation at your company? What are you doing to keep your team members connected and creative? Reach out to us at info@bensonsearch to share your tips.