Top Challenges Impacting Business Today & How You Can Overcome Them

In today’s fast-paced and ever-evolving work environment, companies are continually seeking ways to enhance productivity. Some may be surprised to find that the biggest issues impacting productivity are health related issues. Physical and mental health are interconnected with workplace productivity. 

Here, we’ll explore the biggest issues that are impacting productivity and provide strategies to improve them and foster a productive and healthy workplace.

1. Employee Burnout

Issue: High workloads and long hours often lead to employee burnout, negatively affecting productivity, morale, and job satisfaction. This has increased in the past several years as more and more people can work anytime and anywhere. The expectation of being reachable outside traditional work hours can lead to anticipatory stress and emotional exhaustion. Employees often feel the need to be "on alert" for work communications, which can disrupt their personal time and lead to burnout​. Therefore, setting boundaries for work and home life has gotten much harder leading to increased burnout. 

Improvement Strategies:

• Implement regular breaks and encourage a healthy work-life harmony.
• Offer stress management resources, workshops and mental health support.
• Provide clear, manageable goals and recognize employee efforts.
• Support your team in setting healthy boundaries with work.
• Check in with your team regularly to see how they are managing their workload. 

2. Remote Work Challenges

Issue: While remote work offers flexibility, it also presents challenges such as trouble setting work boundaries, feelings of isolation, and difficulties in collaboration and team cohesion. In addition, many employees struggle to manage the simultaneous demands of work and home, particularly during periods of remote work. The blending of work and personal life can negatively affect sleep, physical activity, and overall well-being. This deterioration in lifestyle behaviors contributes to reduced happiness and increased stress levels​

Improvement Strategies:

• Utilize collaboration tools and regular virtual meetings to maintain communication.
• Foster a sense of community through virtual team-building activities.
• Provide training on effective remote work practices and ensure employees have the necessary resources.

3. Lack of Employee Engagement

Issue: Low levels of engagement and motivation can lead to decreased productivity. Contributing factors include poor management, lack of recognition, poor listening skills from managers, and insufficient career development opportunities.

Improvement Strategies:

• Implement recognition and reward programs.
• Foster open communication and involve employees in decision-making processes.
• Offer career development and growth opportunities.
• Encourage leadership to develop effective communication and emotional intelligence practices.

4. Ineffective Communication & Interdepartmental Conflict

Issue: Poor communication within teams and across departments can result in misunderstandings, errors, and delays. Interdepartmental conflict arises from a myriad of sources, each contributing to the discord that ensues between different units within an organization. Competing goals, scarce resources, unclear roles and responsibilities, breakdowns in communication channels, and interpersonal tensions are among the primary catalysts for conflict. Research by Robbins and Judge (2020) suggests that organizational structures characterized by ambiguity and overlapping jurisdictions are particularly prone to interdepartmental clashes.

Improvement Strategies:

• Establish clear communication channels and protocols.
• Train employees in effective communication skills.
• Encourage regular feedback and open dialogue.
• Offer workshops with leadership to explore what is causing interdepartmental conflict.
• For addition information on this topic, check out our full article on Interdepartmental Conflict Here.

5. Workplace Distractions = Decreased Focus

Issue: Open office environments, constant digital notifications, and non-work-related interruptions can reduce an employee’s ability to focus. The ubiquity of digital devices and constant connectivity means employees are frequently interrupted by notifications, emails, and instant messages. This can fragment attention and reduce the ability to focus on deep, meaningful work. While often seen as a way to increase efficiency, multitasking can actually reduce productivity by splitting attention across multiple tasks. 

Improvement Strategies:

• Create designated quiet zones or allow flexible working arrangements.
• Implement policies to manage digital distractions.
• Encourage time management practices and the use of productivity tools.
• Set specific times for checking emails and notifications, using productivity apps to block distractions, and encouraging digital detox periods during the workday. 

6. Health and Wellbeing

Issue: Mental and physical health issues, whether due to work-related stress or personal matters, can lead to absenteeism and reduced productivity. According to a recent survey, a staggering 80% of employees struggle to find time to exercise due to work demands. Whether it's the pressure to meet deadlines, long hours spent at the desk, or the constant barrage of emails and meetings, the reality is that many employees simply don't have the time or energy to prioritize their physical well-being during the workday.

Improvement Strategies:

• Promote a healthy lifestyle through wellness programs and resources.
• Offer mental health support and counseling services.
• Encourage regular exercise and healthy eating habits.
• Implement workshops such as “how to exercise at your desk” to provide employees with the resources they need to improve their health. 

7. Change Management

Issue: Frequent organizational changes, such as restructuring or policy shifts, can create uncertainty and anxiety among employees, affecting their productivity.

Improvement Strategies:

• Communicate changes clearly and transparently.
• Involve employees in the change process to foster buy-in.
• Provide support and resources to help employees adapt to changes.

8. Skills Gap

Issue: A mismatch between the skills employees have and the skills needed for their roles can hinder productivity.

Improvement Strategies:

• Conduct regular skills assessments and provide targeted training.
• Implement mentoring and coaching programs.
• Encourage continuous learning and professional development.

9. Inefficient Processes

Issue: Outdated or inefficient business processes and workflows can slow down operations.

Improvement Strategies:

• Conduct process audits and streamline workflows.
• Implement automation where possible to reduce manual tasks.
• Encourage employee input on process improvements.

Addressing these productivity issues requires a comprehensive and tailored approach. This is where R.E.S.S.E.T Studio excels. By using assessments and workshops, we help organizations identify and tackle the root causes of productivity challenges. Our focus on wellness and professional development ensures that employees are not only more productive but also healthier and more engaged. By leveraging specialized services like our customized assessments and workshops, companies can create a supportive and productive work environment that benefits both employees and the organization as a whole.