We can all make guesses at what slows down workplace productivity to the greatest degree, but the real culprits can sometimes surprise you. New findings from Chaser’s two-year analysis of project management activity in Slack found that very often, politeness and urgency backfire in the workplace. The data suggests that despite expectations, extra politeness and pressured requests often result in roughly 10% lower on-time task delivery.
We’ve all been told that asking for something nicely is the quickest way to get something done. On the other hand, the corporate world has reinforced the idea that it’s best to get straight to the point and emphasize urgency if urgent action is needed on something. Despite these common assumptions, the data shows that common workplace phrases don’t always work as intended. When tasks came with a “Please” politely dressed around it, the data showed that they were completed late 38.2% of the time. On the other hand, all-caps “ASAPs” and excitable “!!!” indicators used in relation to tasks resulted in them being completed late 37.7% of the time.
Before rushing to vilify these common phrases used both in and out of the workplace and resorting to plain text, the data showed that tasks framed as neutral and direct requests were also completed late 31.4% of the time, which isn’t all that different from leaning towards politeness or urgency. Our takeaway? We may be spending too much time on framing the perfectly toned message or outsourcing the labor to ChatGPT, when we could instead focus our energy on communicating with clarity in the right spaces.
Addressing the slowdown of workplace productivity may require paying attention to some of the finer details of task ownership and communication. (Image: Pexels)
Identifying Some Key Issues That Slow Down Workplace Productivity, No Thanks Needed
The impact of terminology like Please and ASAP on workplace productivity does give us a lot to think about, particularly about what we deem professional communication in the workplace. If people-pleasing gets you nowhere and neither does pushy messaging, then the current emphasis on formality and perfect tone may not be the ultimate deciding factor in how a message is received and the seriousness with which it is treated. Instead, Chaser found other factors that made it more likely to be on the receiving end of timely work.
The report suggested that work that was assigned to or owned by a single individual was 66.8% more likely to be delivered on time, when compared to a task shared by two people. This finding might contradict our understanding of shared responsibility in the workplace, but if high-school projects are anything to go by, it’s easy to get complacent about completion when there’s someone else to coordinate with and fall back on.
For even greater workplace productivity numbers, work that was voluntarily taken on was the most reliable. This data makes a great case for building enthusiasm for the work done within the organization. By encouraging employees to play to their strengths and take charge of work they enjoy performing, employers can benefit from workers signing up for work they enjoy and are willing to lead on.
Pushing for Productivity: Making Accountability Public and Precise
To continue this chain of solid ideas for improving workplace productivity, Chaser found evidence to suggest that posting a task publicly made it 44% more likely to be on time, compared to one sent privately. Similarly, setting deadlines and due dates better guaranteed a successful crossing of the finish line, as tasks without due dates were 2.5 times as likely to never be completed.
These findings may sound like simple reiterations of what we already know about the workplace, but they serve as an invaluable reminder of prioritizing the small considerations that make the organization whole. Much of this sense of accountability is shaped by leadership and how the organization commits to the changes and advancements it proposes to employees. Setting a precedent for honoring public commitments to employees gives them additional reasons to commit to and complete the tasks on their desks.
Change isn’t linear, and these alterations in habits will not result in the reversal of productivity levels in the workplace, but making these minor changes creates the opportunity for a shift in the culture and common practices of the organization as a whole.
Have you observed other reasons for a slowdown of workplace productivity? Share them with us. Subscribe to The HR Digest for more insights on workplace trends, layoffs, and what to expect with the advent of AI.
