Have you ever heard of the Hawthorne Effect? A manufacturing company that changed the lighting on the manufacturing line when productivity was low. What happened?….. productivity went up. Then again after a few months when productivity seemed to be dipping down again, they changed the lighting again (back to original)…. productivity went up again. When employees were interviewed to see what the difference was, they reported feeling like upper management was thinking of them, cared about their environment, and cared for them in general. Now, I do not have all the intricate details, but this is the idea of the story.

WOW! How important it is that we are concerned about the well-being of our employees, even showing an effort can make a difference. The slightest change can make a world of difference in productivity of our companies. IF productivity is low in your organization, look for ways to make a change. Measure results prior to and after the change…. see if productivity has altered.

–Dionne