Listen up, employers.
We know that you’re concerned about productivity at your company. It only makes sense; more saved time equals higher profits. You’ve invested various training and motivation techniques into your employees to help meet your goals, but it seems like they still lag behind.
Have you considered the fact that the problem isn’t with your employees, but with their tools?
If you’re interested in keeping your workers as productive as possible, a better keyboard may be what you’re looking for, and here’s why.
1. Mechanical keyboards are more durable.
If you have employees that pound away on their keyboards like they’re tenderizing meat, you should consider getting them a mechanical-switch keyboard instead. “Pounders” are harsher on their keyboards, which means they’re more at risk for losing productivity should a key fall off or a rubber-domed switch fail to register a keystroke.
Where your employees would have to wait for repairs or a new keyboard, they wouldn’t lose any productivity if they had a mechanical keyboard. The switches in these devices are usually made of metal instead of rubber, so they’re more likely to stay strong and register keystrokes accurately. And even if a key does happen to pop off, it can simply be snapped back in place on its metal switch.
2. Mechanical keyboards help accuracy.
Many mechanical keyboard fans rave at the loud, clicky sound they produce when using one of these keyboards. As mentioned above, the mechanical switches that make this loud noise are what’s ensuring the computer registers every single keystroke, therefore improving typing accuracy.
A few writers and programmers have tested their typing speed and accuracy with mechanical keyboards, and the results are impressive. One writer found that he was able to put in 91 words per minute at 100% accuracy, which meant he could type a whopping 900 additional words per hour with less errors. Imagine how much more your employees could accomplish with this ability.
3. Mechanical keyboards are more satisfying to use.
This isn’t a fact; it’s an opinion held by the majority of mechanical keyboard users. They feel this way because it’s far easier for them to know when they’ve pressed a key by the audible “click” of the keys about halfway through their press (because mechanicals don’t need as much force to register keystrokes as a regular rubber-domed device). So the mechanical experience is both an audible and tactile one, instead of just tactile.
While this loud noise could be considered a drawback in some work places, you can find quieter versions on the market. And the fact of the matter is that for some people, that audible satisfaction is what helps contribute to their typing speed and accuracy (see point #2). No more double-typing a letter because an employee’s not sure she hit the key hard enough.
Mechanical keyboards have a lot of benefits that could very well increase your employees’ productivity. If you’re not sure how some of your employees would handle mechanical keyboards, ask for volunteers to participate in a trial period. It’s likely many of them will want to stay with the mechanicals, and you can slowly swap out everyone else’s over time.
But in the long run, you’ll notice higher employee performance, which could lead to greater profits every year. And that’s enough of a reason to look at mechanical keyboards for your employees.