Take a shower to boost your employee productivity!

Posted on 20. May, 2009 by admin in Employee productivity tips

Practical, helpful advice on ways to boost your employee productivity is what this site has been all about for several months now – so the team was a little unsure on whether to publish this article – because you could argue it is completely inpractical… however many organisations do have showers in the building – and all you need is …. well a towel really and 10 minutes to spare. So here goes…

A shower during the working day, according to PR firm Lucre, may be the answer to boosting employee productivity. That’s the conclusion of a new study, which involved four businesses in an eight week study – a restaurant, an architect firm, an advertising agency and a lingerie company.

In addition to their usual daily wash, staff took a shower break – and results showed improvement across a range of areas, from mood to productivity. The study found that employees taking shower breaks at the four businesses spread across the UK saw an overall boost in productivity and creativity of 42% and 33% respectively.

Lucre said that during the control period of four weeks, staff recorded how they were feeling throughout the working day. Then, workers spent a further month taking a minimum of one shower break a day, while filling in questionnaires rating among other criteria if they felt more productive or creative.

Sam Walsh, one of the employees who participated in the study, said: “I found that showering gave me some peace and quiet, being away from the ringing phones in the office was great for mulling over ideas.

“I even came up with a great new TV ad idea for one of our clients while I was in there. As well as helping me get a fresh perspective on things, I also found it a great pick-me-up on the days when I felt tired.”

Nicholas Patterson a general manager said: “Our hardworking staff members are on their feet for long shifts in what is a hot and hectic environment. Shower breaks made sure they took time away from the restaurant to refuel and freshening up their feet with a shower also offered them physical benefits which made them work more effectively in the restaurant.”

So there we have it – why not try it today? If you work from home or in an office with such facilities, leave your desk with a bar of soap and wave this article at your colleagues when they wonder what on earth you are up to. Don’t forget to leave a comment here too (when you’ve dried off of course).

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