Multi-tasking is associated with making more frequent mistakes – but employees in many industries are often rated on their level of work performance by how well they can juggle multiple tasks (I know it’s happened to me in the past). This is a standard that needs to change to increase real productivity as well as safety.

One way HM helped decrease distractions was by enclosing certain workspaces (in this case, the areas where medications were stored and handled). In a way, this is similar to the use of cubicles themselves to cut down on distractions for office workers. I liked the example of the use of “caution” color coded tape to let coworkers know when not to interrupt. That’s a great low cost idea that could be used in a number of other work environments as well.

Daisy McCarty
http://www.sandiegocubicles.com/blog/