The corporate world has changed in the past couple of years, and it’s not because of economic crises, train strikes or the fact that we can never find the right angle for our webcam. The truth is, many employees got a taste for working from home, and they don’t want to go back to commuting full time, or even at all.
This is leaving employers with a dilemma – while several studies have found giving employees the flexibility of hybrid work has increased their productivity overall, many of them don’t have a dedicated space or home office to work in. This makes it much more difficult to concentrate on complex tasks for any significant length of time, which can affect the overall quality of their work. You can resolve this problem by providing your employees with the right environment to perform deep work. How can you do it? Read on to find out.
The Benefits of Deep Work
The phrase ‘Deep Work’ – coined by Cal Newport in his book ‘Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World’ – describes a state of intense, uninterrupted concentration in which the mind is free to work on cognitively demanding topics, such as data analysis, strategy development or content creation. This is compared to Shallow Work, which is non-cognitively demanding logistical-style work that can easily be performed when distracted, such as answering emails.
In his book, Newport uses the examples of Carl Jung hiding in a tower in Switzerland, Bill Gates isolating himself for ‘Think Weeks’ and JK Rowling banning herself from social media when writing as successful people performing this kind of deep-focus work to achieve results. His theory is that this skill is becoming increasingly valuable in a world full of distractions, and those who cultivate it – or allow their employees to do so – will reap the benefits.
Providing a Deep Work Zone for Your Employees
The good news is, you don’t have to pack your team off to Switzerland or ban them from checking in on social media feeds in order to get the most out of their time. In reality, it’s as simple as providing a designated space for staff members to concentrate solely on their work. This also means allowing them to be ‘offline’ for a while and not expecting them to answer calls or messages while they’re focusing on their work.
This could be an isolated or dedicated room within the office, or if you have an open plan environment then perhaps a Hypedome Office Pod. At only 2.3 metres high, a pod could be easily installed in the space and will give your employees a quiet zone to work without distractions. It also sends a clear message to their colleagues that they don’t want to be interrupted!
Garden Office Pod as Perfect Deep Work Zone
If you really want to get your staff away from distraction, and you have an outdoor space, consider putting an outside garden home office to escape into. Working in a garden pod gives your employees the advantage of being physically separate, which helps the mind to get into ‘deep work mode’. They can also benefit from getting fresh air and being out in the environment. All these things help boost physical and mental health and facilitate optimism and job satisfaction, which in turn help improve productivity and performance.
If your employees still work from home, you can invest in an office pod for their own garden. Garden office domes have many practical advantages over traditional garden structures while still providing all the benefits of a separate space out in the fresh air. They also provide value for money, as a complete garden office kit from Hypedome is just £6,489.00 and will last at least fifteen years with only a little maintenance. It’s also easy to set up and take down again, so if anyone retires or moves on the pod can be delivered in no time to the next worthy candidate.
Create the Perfect Zone for Deep Focus Work
The term ‘Deep Work’ may be a new one, but the concept is not – we all know that distractions impact our productivity. You don’t have to be a famous author or billionaire CEO to experience that feeling of deep concentration when time seems to stand still.
But how can you use this concept to get the best work out of your employees? The simple answer is to provide them with a dedicated space, such as an office dome, where they can be free to focus on complex tasks. Whether this is in the office or in their garden at home, this will help them produce better quality work in less time, and increase their job satisfaction. And with better results and happier employees, your satisfaction is bound to increase, too!