Growth and expansion of your organization is always the ultimate goal, but the “pains” it takes to grow aren’t always conducive to a tranquil work environment. Adding a new space to the office, or renovating an existing space can be extremely disruptive to the overall vibe and functionality of the office.
Replacing major pieces of equipment in your workplace, repurposing and reworking the layout of the office, or a major cleanup of harmful mold after leaky plumbing are all potential interruptions to the consistent ebb and flow of your production.
The goal is to equip yourself and your colleagues with the most effective weapons to combat the constant distraction. Here are a few tips to help you keep operations in order during intrusive building maintenance.
Practice refocusing when distractions are winning
Train yourself and the whole office in positive refocusing methods. Distractions in the workplace are inevitable, even when there isn’t something extra going on in the building.
It’s a win-win situation to equip professionals with the necessary mental tools to train their minds to refocus faster. Make refocusing an everyday habit and routine in the workplace.
Allow headphones in the office
You may not have a free enough environment for everyone to be using their headphones, but office construction can certainly be the time to make an exception. Employees should have the ability to make a quick escape from the noise and chaos stirred up by building renovations or maintenance.
Technology has developed some very effective sound-canceling headphones that are great from staying focused in a less than pleasant atmosphere. Focus is everything when it comes to office production, and cutting out the noise may be vital for some professionals.
Schedule important meetings around the intrusion
If your office is in a large commercial building, then the maintenance is probably some sort of construction. It is probably very loud, but there is one predictable portion of the day. Everyone has to go to lunch sometime.
Plan your important meetings and planning sessions during the quiet times of the day. When the workers are out to play, get down to business.
Make the most of the quiet times
Even if you’re not scheduling meetings of planning sessions with others in the office, use the quietest parts of the day for overdrive. Get deep, and focus on completing as much quality work as you can, before the drills begin to whir.
Physically block the maintenance operations
The physical distraction of maintenance operations can be terribly distracting. The urge to watch workers create new parts of the building or perform other specialized jobs is far too great. If it is at all possible, physically block the distraction from the sight of professionals in the office.