Distractions Left and Right

We live in an information overloaded world where we are constantly bombarded with information and some sort of stimuli, much of it coming from different mobile applications. This can cause more problems than just an emerging case of ADD, it can really hurt businesses and their productivity. One of the tools that employers can use is incorporating workplace flexibility. It can actually reduce employee absences by 20% and improve morale and productivity. The number-one time-wasting activity is surfing the Internet for personal reasons, according to a recent poll from Survey.com. The poll also found that one-third of workers say they are unproductive because they don’t have enough to do. Managers should communicate regularly with their employees about priorities and deadlines. Employees should also be encouraged to ask questions and periodically check in to make sure that they are meeting their manager’s expectations.

Research in the Cloud

Research and software development have finally found each other. It has been a relationship in the making for a long time so it is a surprise that it took so long. Patterns from a lot of data are crucial to certain research and experiments. When there is a computer doing all the large number crunching, the scientists can get more done and see a much bigger picture of what it going on than if they were the ones doing all of the calculations. The costs can also decrease dramatically when a lot of the data is stored in cloud services. Many of the tedious procedures are also becoming automated which to some degree can give more precise and accurate results. Researchers can then remotely select experiments and get sent the results. It take over $1 million dollar to set up a functioning lab so the financial burden constrains experiments and makes it hard for garage-sized startups to get off the ground. Throw in some automated software programs and three people have the potential to do the work of thirty.