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We like to think we know what increases worker productivity: apps, plenty of daylight and exceptional management procedures.

But it turns out that there’s much more to it than that. Even the smallest things can make a difference.

Work Less

Do you want to improve your team’s productivity? Then have them work less. It turns out that productivity begins to fall off a proverbial cliff once somebody works more than forty hours a week. For every additional hour over fifty hours, productivity may fall in half.

Working less seems like the opposite of what you want as a business. But it’s not about how many hours you spend in the office, but what valuable work you actually get done.

Employ Cheerleaders

What motivates men to work hard? Well, according to a recent experiment in China, it’s attractive young cheerleaders parading around the office with pom-poms. It turns out that male workers are inclined to work much harder when they are in the presence of a beautiful woman.

What’s more, it also helps to improve social skills. Many workers – especially in sectors like programming – can struggle to communicate their ideas. Employing cheerleaders helps to open up, relax, and share their suggestions with other colleagues more often.

Play Some Music

Most offices are silent, except for the occasional flushing of a toilet or tapping on a keyboard. But is silence optimal? Apparently not. According to neuroscientists, we should be listening to rhythmic music throughout the day.

Why? It turns out that music stimulates multiple areas of the brain all at once. It may help workers enter the coveted state of “flow,” allowing them to get much more done than they ordinarily would.

If you don’t have a music system, just getting somebody to strum a guitar once in a while can help. You can also encourage employees to listen to iTunes with headphones.

Clean The Place Up

Is your office a mess? If so, business cleaning could help you improve productivity dramatically. It turns out that when employees are able to work in a clean environment, they get more done – much more.

Clutter takes up conscious attention. It makes it harder to be productive because it is occupying critical brain resources. But once you get rid of it, you find that people work much more effectively. Employing business cleaning services in Fort Wayne, IN, for example, is extremely popular and would help your company immensely.

Bring Some Cats To The Office

Cats are famous for a lot of things, but not improving worker productivity. It turns out that cats, however, are fast becoming superstars of the office. Companies in Japan are trialling them in offices to keep workers relaxed and productive. Firms that have tried it report improved worker relationships, more collaboration and higher sales output. It’s just a shame that the cats make such a mess.

Let Workers Take A Nap Under Their Desks

Working from 8 am until 6 pm continuously is a big ask for most people. So now innovative companies are finding ways to break up the work day, offering colleagues beds underneath their desks. Just 30 minutes of sleep can reinvigorate workers and prevent “graveyard hour” after lunch.

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