Amin Mortazavi, General Manager, HP Middle East Imaging and Printing Group, explains how breaks, networking with colleagues and the office environment can have a positive impact on productivity

Dubai, 18 July, 2010 - The HP Middle East Imaging & Printing Group (IPG) has released an HP commissioned survey which throws light onto how activities previously considered as time lost can actually generate value for small and medium businesses or 'SMBs' during the working day. The survey was commissioned in order to research alternative ways to stimulate production in the current economic climate, as many SMBs are struggling to maintain traditional financial rewards.

'In today's economic climate some employers are finding it a challenge to provide employees with traditional motivators such as bonuses or yearly salary increases.   Understanding what motivates and helps employees perform efficiently on the job can assist employers in finding ways to maintain productivity even in challenging economic times', commented Amin Mortazavi, General Manager of HP Middle East Imaging and Printing Group.

Research also undertaken as part of the survey during the World Cup showed that, across the region's SMB community, more than half of respondents claimed to work more efficiently and effectively the morning after a national football victory. 

HP's research - covering 11 EMEA countries including the UAE - revealed the return on investment (ROI) behind a range of practices and actions that businesses typically wouldn´t associate with value creation, such as a trip to the gym (with 37% of respondents associating an ROI with this activity), the journey to and from work (47%) and, even, the presence of potted plants or flowers in the office (55%)!

Whether it is the morning coffee break or the way they spend their lunch hour, employees revealed that break activities taken during the work day to be 79% more effective in terms of ROI generation than such activities performed outside working hours.

 "Taking a break that allows you to mentally disengage from your job can aide in reducing fatigue and buffering stress.  When employees feel good in the workplace they are more likely to engage in organizational citizenship behaviors (OCB), such as providing support on a project they are not responsible for or staying late in the office.  This in turn leads colleagues to perform reciprocal OCB behaviors and ultimately, an increase in workplace efficiency and productivity," explains Dr. Michal Bashshur, Industrial Organizational Psychologist and assistant professor at Universitat Pompeu Fabra in Barcelona, Spain.

The wealth of research, including that commissioned by HP, confirms the powerful impact breaks, informal networking with colleagues and the office environment have on productivity in the workplace. The implications from a business perspective are compelling - it is, indeed, the small gestures that can make a difference, even to the bottom line.  The same can be said of HP IPG's LaserJet printing range - quietly, inadvertently helping businesses generate ROI for over 25 years.

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© Press Release 2010