Kiss me, I’m productive! That’s how that merry holiday saying goes, right? Wait … or is it “kiss me I’m Irish?” Hmmm, we can’t remember. One thing we do remember for certain: St. Patrick’s Day is this weekend, and merriment (and kisses) will abound!
But what about productivity? Did you know that the work day after St. Patrick’s Day is the second-most popular sick day of the year (according to a National Payday study). That’s right! Estimates show that lost productivity dollars in the days following St. Patrick’s Day total around $134 million. Parades, hangovers, and tomfoolery can wreak havoc on your organization’s productivity figures. That is … if your organization isn’t already using MyObjectives, one of the top productivity-boosting tool on the market.
So, as we fix our sights on Monday, March 19 (a mere two sleeps past paddy’s day), let’s take a moment to examine two organizations and how they fare with or without MyObjectives.
Organization A
It doesn’t have MyObjectives. The Friday before Paddy’s Day is a wash. Dreams of green beer and laughing leprechauns have employees’ minds dancing, and their productivity in the dumps. Maybe some progress is made on this quarter’s goals this week, but not much.
Unfortunately for Org A, Monday is no better. In fact, it’s worse, much worse. Ten percent of the organization’s workforce calls in sick. You, being the research-minded manager that you are (having had read this article), know that it’s all a load o’Blarney! Unfortunately, due to your gracious PTO/sick policy, there’s nothing you can do.
As the weekend warriors stumble back in on Tuesday morning, they take a full half-day to reacclimate. “Where am I again? What do I do here? What was I working on last week?”
Sigh … another day or two passes before your employees really kick it back in gear. In all likelihood, the camaraderie they felt this weekend as they bonded over their shared 1/16th Irish heritage, has faded, and the organization’s mission to accomplish the team’s goals by the end of the quarter has fallen by the wayside.
Sad story. But with a little luck (and a subscription to MyObjectives), your organization could look more like Org B next week. Let’s dive in, shall we?
Organization B
They have MyObjectives. They have been using it for a couple quarters now, and they’ve really found their rhythm. It works for them. Teams enjoy the framework that the tool provides for creating, working towards, and ultimately achieving their pot o’GOALd every quarter (okay that was a bit of a stretch, sorry). Long story short, productivity has been on the rise since the integration.
So as the weekend approaches, team members login and identify the remaining low-hanging-fruits that they can accomplish on Friday, pushing a few more objectives from “progress” or “partial success” to the final “success” stage. Now that’s something to celebrate!
When Monday rolls around, 10% of the workforce also doesn’t show up (because let’s be realistic here, this is a productivity tool, not a magic wand). But the 90% that does show up, jumps right back in to what they were working on last Friday.
Four-pronged roll assignments, akin to the lucky 4-leaf clover, remind team members who is responsible for the work, who is ultimately accountable, who may still need to be consulted, and who should be informed. This way, when the lollygaggers roll back in on Tuesday morning, their team is there to keep that celebratory camaraderie going, as they all band together to knock out objectives on their way to the success zone!
Cheers, or Sláinte!, to Org B
Now whether you choose to be like Org A or Org B is ultimately up to you, but from where we’re standing, we see no reason why you can’t have your Guinness® and drink it too. Give your organization the gift of MyObjectives this weekend, and with a little luck, you may just end up with a kiss! Or is it a boost to productivity? Sláinte!
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