Focus and Learn Day Pilot Program for Employees

During Fall 2020, People & Workplace Culture collected feedback from employees, and a prominent theme was the desire for more time with fewer meetings. In response to this feedback, Friday, March 19, will be designated the first Focus and Learn Day for SLCC employees. This pilot program provides time free from meetings or interruptions for employees to catch up on neglected tasks or projects, focus on strategic planning and organization and engage in learning. 

Supervisors are asked to refrain from scheduling meetings on this day, and individuals are encouraged to delay sending and receiving phone calls and emails until the following Monday. Employees will be asked to provide feedback on their thoughts about the day, what they could accomplish, and how often they were interrupted. 

“The goal is to provide our SLCC faculty and staff time to be free of the distractions, ideally poised to go into a weekend with a sense of purpose and accomplishment and ready to start the next week more focused,” says Sara Reed, Associate Vice President People and Workplace Culture.

A survey by Microsoft found that people spend about five and a half hours each week in meetings and that 71% of U.S. survey participants considered meetings as “not productive.” 

One explanation for this may stem from what researcher Sophie Leroy calls “attention residue,” or how our brains shift focus from activity to activity gradually rather than suddenly or on command. Research suggests having uninterrupted time to focus on completing tasks can increase productivity and reduce work-related stress. Many organizations and companies have responded with policies to consolidate meeting days or times, giving employees more uninterrupted time. 

While the list is endless as to what activities would be appropriate as part of SLCC’s Focus and Learn Day, a few suggestions include completing a calendaring audit, catching up on professional reading, taking a LinkedIn course or organizing files. 

Reed says the March 19 Focus and Learn Day is the first of three upcoming events. “We want to pilot three Focus and Learn Days during the spring and, if successful, build these days into our annual planning.” Subsequent Focus and Learn Days are planned for April 16 and May 21.