Fifty-seven per cent of Canadians are distracted at work on a regular basis, and many estimate they lose up to two hours of productivity each day due to disturbances in the workplace, according to a new survey.
Respondents to the survey, executed by polling agency Maru/Blue on behalf of iQ Offices, listed chatty colleagues, open-concept offices, unassigned workspaces and time-wasting meetings as the biggest barriers to productivity.
Almost two-thirds of respondents — 64 per cent — said they would even accept a lower salary if it meant working in a “conveniently-located … beautiful work-space designed for productivity and employee satisfaction.”
To collect the data, researchers asked 1,524 Canadians a wide array of questions about productivity in the workplace, and the results showed focus was a problem for employees across Canada.
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Respondents indicated when considering a new job, top priorities included a convenient location and the option for occasional remote work. The ideal workspace is “attractively-designed” with natural light and optional private workspaces.
4:13 How a 4-day work week can boost productivity
How a 4-day work week can boost productivity
However, in Kane Willmott’s experience, many Canadian workspaces don’t reflect these priorities. He’s the co-founder of iQ Offices, a Canadian co-working company.
“The trendy office style … with open concepts and recreation areas, ping pong tables and shuffleboards … we’re going there because we thought [that’s] what it would take to attract talent,” he said. “The reality is, these are distractions.
“We should [instead] focus on what it takes to engage [employees].”
A workplace filled with distractions can have a drastic impact on overall productivity.
According to the survey, 73 per cent of Canadians estimate they could save up to two hours a day if they worked in an office that was designed to minimize distraction, and 38 per cent estimate they could get the usual seven hours of work completed in six.
“Canadians overwhelmingly highlight design, physical environment productivity challenges like nomad seating arrangements, noise and distracting open concept design, ahead of other workload-related challenges, such as excessive email … or unexpected extra work,” said Willmott.
4:13 How a 4-day work week can boost productivity
How a 4-day work week can boost productivity
“We’re creatures of habit. We want to have a predictable work environment,” he said. “That being said, we don’t want to just sit at a desk for eight hours a day either. We need to create areas to rejuvenate.”
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In Willmott’s opinion, Canadian employees are looking for an office that allows them to have their own space while still offering flexibility for changes of scenery throughout the day.
Ownership of the space
Productivity will improve if employees take ownership of their work and their workspace, said Baba Vishwanath, professor of human resources and management at McMaster University.
This requires leadership that will invite employees to offer feedback on the tasks they’re given and the space they’re given to execute them.
“As a leader, you need to make sure your employees own their work,” said Vishwanath. “They have to see an alignment between their individual interests and the organization’s interests.”
4:48 Would a career change really make you happier?
Would a career change really make you happier?
The interests of an organization are largely communicated by the structural layout, decorations and design of its workspace.
Employers should create a way for employees to offer feedback — it can be a survey or a focus group or something completely different — which will “build involvement” in their own work design.
“You can be physically present, but not mentally present,” he said.
Eliminate distraction
For many employers, changing a whole workspace will be too big a task. Willmott says there are still some easy ways to make a workplace more productive in the short term.
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“If you have a ping pong table or a shuffleboard, swap those out … for an area where people can go and rejuvenate,” he said. “Quiet areas … allows employees to reset throughout the day.”
Willmott also recommends adding sound-deadening materials to rooms throughout the office, which will make rejuvenation easier.
0:32 Study says plants can reduce workplace stress
Study says plants can reduce workplace stress
“Use movable walls … to create visual privacy and visual variety,” he said. “Noise-cancelling headphones are huge, too.”
Willmott is also an advocate for “bringing the outside in.” He recommends adding plants to the space and opening any windows that are able to open.
“Even positioning your desk in a space [with] natural light … that’s scientifically proven to boost productivity,” he said.
VANCOUVER – Contract negotiations resume today in Vancouver in a labour dispute that has paralyzed container cargo shipping at British Columbia’s ports since Monday.
The BC Maritime Employers Association and International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 514 are scheduled to meet for the next three days in mediated talks to try to break a deadlock in negotiations.
The union, which represents more than 700 longshore supervisors at ports, including Vancouver, Prince Rupert and Nanaimo, has been without a contract since March last year.
The latest talks come after employers locked out workers in response to what it said was “strike activity” by union members.
The start of the lockout was then followed by several days of no engagement between the two parties, prompting federal Labour Minister Steven MacKinnon to speak with leaders on both sides, asking them to restart talks.
MacKinnon had said that the talks were “progressing at an insufficient pace, indicating a concerning absence of urgency from the parties involved” — a sentiment echoed by several business groups across Canada.
In a joint letter, more than 100 organizations, including the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, Business Council of Canada and associations representing industries from automotive and fertilizer to retail and mining, urged the government to do whatever it takes to end the work stoppage.
“While we acknowledge efforts to continue with mediation, parties have not been able to come to a negotiated agreement,” the letter says. “So, the federal government must take decisive action, using every tool at its disposal to resolve this dispute and limit the damage caused by this disruption.
“We simply cannot afford to once again put Canadian businesses at risk, which in turn puts Canadian livelihoods at risk.”
In the meantime, the union says it has filed a complaint to the Canada Industrial Relations Board against the employers, alleging the association threatened to pull existing conditions out of the last contract in direct contact with its members.
“The BCMEA is trying to undermine the union by attempting to turn members against its democratically elected leadership and bargaining committee — despite the fact that the BCMEA knows full well we received a 96 per cent mandate to take job action if needed,” union president Frank Morena said in a statement.
The employers have responded by calling the complaint “another meritless claim,” adding the final offer to the union that includes a 19.2 per cent wage increase over a four-year term remains on the table.
“The final offer has been on the table for over a week and represents a fair and balanced proposal for employees, and if accepted would end this dispute,” the employers’ statement says. “The offer does not require any concessions from the union.”
The union says the offer does not address the key issue of staffing requirement at the terminals as the port introduces more automation to cargo loading and unloading, which could potentially require fewer workers to operate than older systems.
The Port of Vancouver is the largest in Canada and has seen a number of labour disruptions, including two instances involving the rail and grain storage sectors earlier this year.
A 13-day strike by another group of workers at the port last year resulted in the disruption of a significant amount of shipping and trade.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 9, 2024.
The Royal Canadian Legion says a new partnership with e-commerce giant Amazon is helping boost its veterans’ fund, and will hopefully expand its donor base in the digital world.
Since the Oct. 25 launch of its Amazon.ca storefront, the legion says it has received nearly 10,000 orders for poppies.
Online shoppers can order lapel poppies on Amazon in exchange for donations or buy items such as “We Remember” lawn signs, Remembrance Day pins and other accessories, with all proceeds going to the legion’s Poppy Trust Fund for Canadian veterans and their families.
Nujma Bond, the legion’s national spokesperson, said the organization sees this move as keeping up with modern purchasing habits.
“As the world around us evolves we have been looking at different ways to distribute poppies and to make it easier for people to access them,” she said in an interview.
“This is definitely a way to reach a wider number of Canadians of all ages. And certainly younger Canadians are much more active on the web, on social media in general, so we’re also engaging in that way.”
Al Plume, a member of a legion branch in Trenton, Ont., said the online store can also help with outreach to veterans who are far from home.
“For veterans that are overseas and are away, (or) can’t get to a store they can order them online, it’s Amazon.” Plume said.
Plume spent 35 years in the military with the Royal Engineers, and retired eight years ago. He said making sure veterans are looked after is his passion.
“I’ve seen the struggles that our veterans have had with Veterans Affairs … and that’s why I got involved, with making sure that the people get to them and help the veterans with their paperwork.”
But the message about the Amazon storefront didn’t appear to reach all of the legion’s locations, with volunteers at Branch 179 on Vancouver’s Commercial Drive saying they hadn’t heard about the online push.
Holly Paddon, the branch’s poppy campaign co-ordinator and bartender, said the Amazon partnership never came up in meetings with other legion volunteers and officials.
“I work at the legion, I work with the Vancouver poppy office and I go to the meetings for the Vancouver poppy campaign — which includes all the legions in Vancouver — and not once has this been mentioned,” she said.
Paddon said the initiative is a great idea, but she would like to have known more about it.
The legion also sells a larger collection of items at poppystore.ca.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 9, 2024.
