How to Incorporate Leisure Into the Workplace to Increase Productivity

A study of over 19,800 people found that productivity takes a big hit when employees don’t get adequate sleep, exercise, or nutrition. Unhealthy eating alone is linked to a 66 percent increased risk of productivity loss. So what? They’re here 9-5, Monday – Friday. That’s work time. When they sleep, eat, and hit the gym is their problem. This is the prevailing attitude among employers, but as you can see, it’s not a terribly productive one! Leisure and work are states of mind that intertwine, and it benefits both the employees and the business. Allowing leisure into the workplace may be the solution to productivity problems.
Employees Lacking Motivation?
Paul Marchildon, an experienced Leisureologist, can work with you and your team to increase productivity by incorporating leisure into the workplace.That’s the way it is, but it’s not the way it should be. While some people do work optimally under a traditional work schedule, many don’t. Companies have to measure results, not hours in the shop. At Shopify, for instance, employees come and go. There are no set work hours; just a job description, goals, and objectives. They get their work done. How and where is their business.
Companies like this are reframing how hours are set and the expectations around how these hours are spent. People can be at work for twelve hours per day and be unproductive for the last four. They are often tired and unproductive the next day. Why not allow them to come in mid-morning or leave early or skip Monday’s altogether while they work at home? Why not permit them to go to the gym mid-day? While we’re at it, why don’t we also provide them healthy food so we can boost that productivity!
Shopify provides healthy meals to their staff and manages to power tens of thousands of ecommerce sites around the world, including those run by Amnesty International, the Foo Fighters, Rovio, and Nintendo. There is a key piece of the puzzle though – Shopify’s people want to do their work. They’re not at work to put in the time; they are there to do something.
We have to move away from the idea of prescribed timeframes and activities that are supposed to be fit within them. Employees, particularly the up-and-coming Gen Ys, increasingly want this type of flexibility, and they will return the favour with increased productivity, quality, and loyalty to the organization.