Improve Hybrid Work Performance

Many kitchen and bath showrooms have adopted a hybrid system that allows team members to work from home. The following are scientific based tips to improve work-from-home productivity.

Dress for success. A benefit of working from home is no one knows if you are wearing sweats and a t-shirt.  Encourage your team to dress at home as they would if they were coming to the showroom because research found that dressing professionally can enhance abstract thinking and provide a broader perspective.

Taking an hourly break increases productivity.  The human brain is easily bored.  Taking a break helps energize mental abilities and focus on tasks that need to get done.  

Listening to certain types of background music is another productivity enhancer. Classical music, natural sounds, epic movie scores, video game tracks and soundscapes help to improve focus.  Avoid pop music, complex tunes and songs with lyrics because they can impede your ability comprehend what you are reading and also can be distracting.

Color your world by painting your home office space.  Colors can affect moods and productivity.  Blue is considered to reduce stress.  Yellow sparks creativity.  Green can be calming.

The temperature of your home office also can affect performance. Researchers at Cornell found productivity improved when office space’s temperature was increased from 68 to 77 degrees.  Natural sunlight can have similar effects.  

Regular exercise is another tool to boost productivity because it helps release chemicals to the brain that improve learning and memory while simultaneously reducing stress.

Another great benefit of hybrid work is that you don’t necessarily have to keep 9 to 5 hours.  Work hours where you are most productive.