Sweat the small stuff: why every minute counts when it comes to productivity

Nobody likes wasting time, whether you’re an employee trying to tick tasks off your to-do list, or a business owner where time equals money. Since the arrival of digital technologies, the speed of work has hugely increased – after all, we can communicate with one another at the click of a button. But technology sometimes creates its own bugs and inefficiencies.

According to new research¹, workers lose an average of 46 minutes per day on slow technology. One in five employees admit that lagging technology makes them lose focus. When these issues are faced on a regular basis, it can even mean losing staff – with one in 10 employees saying that regularly encountering software and computer problems has made them want to quit their job². Technology should support and enable work, not stand in the way.

One of the main challenges in investing in technology intended to improve workspace productivity, is balancing its features and capability with user experience. It’s essential to remember that real people will be using these systems so, ultimately, even if a piece of software or a device is functionally the best on the market, it may not lead to the high productivity aspired to. Indeed, if employees find technology in the workspace difficult to use then they are likely to waste time working it out – or even avoid using it altogether, opting for alternatives that they are more familiar with, or inefficient legacy manual processes.

This is reflected in research which found that nearly three-quarters of employees admit to sharing information with colleagues and 60% with people outside the organisation, through non-compliant file-sharing tools not provided by their company³. As well as potentially decreasing productivity in business processes on a day-to-day basis, this practice increases the risk of data loss and security breaches, with grave consequences for the business. Usability at a basic, intuitive level should be the primary feature of any new or emerging technology.

This is even more crucial in today’s fast-evolving workspaces where, increasingly, organisations are choosing to adopt hybrid working models. These new ways of working change how employees interact with office systems, and in turn what businesses need to focus on when it comes to investment. If companies are operating a working model where employees work predominantly from home, a staff member is likely to come into the office when required to carry out a task that cannot be done at home, for instance for face-to-face meetings, or to use specialist hardware. It’s therefore important that office-based technology enables employees to complete these tasks as efficiently as possible, so that their office time is productive.

An additional consideration is service support. If organisations are operating a reduced staff in the office, they are less likely to have IT support available on-site to solve any issues. As a result, every piece of technology needs be reliable, avoiding technical issues which may result in downtime which can’t be easily resolved and prevents employees being productive when on-site. With that in mind, organisations may consider investing in fewer, but more advanced devices, that offer enhanced productivity and reliability.

Naturally, it is this connectivity that has enabled the hybrid working model – where some people are in the office, some at home – to work effectively. Technology devices like printers and MFPs need to facilitate efficient connectivity between everyone, wherever they are, without complicated processes or unreliable outcomes. In short, these systems should be designed to reduce the amount of time operators spend using them and more time performing functions to boost productivity, such as turning print documents into digital information which is available to all.

At Canon, our latest generation of office print and scan devices have been developed to improve productivity in business, delivering the ease of use, reliability and connectivity demanded by today’s blend of traditional, remote and hybrid working models. Our newly launched imageRUNNER ADVANCE DX C5800 and imagePRESS C170 Series’ combine all the functions required by a modern office device.

These new machines prioritise productive, efficient office working, by balancing fast print and scan speeds and automated workflow capabilities with simple usability to achieve effortless productivity. With the additional option to produce high quality creative formats with the imagePRESS C170 Series, you can efficiently meet all your production needs inhouse through Canon. Meanwhile, as a trusted manufacturer, we can promise the reliability you need to keep your workers on task in the workspace.

Want to know more about how our imageRUNNER ADVANCE DX C5800 and imagePRESS C170 Series’ support productive office working? Click here