With all the ways technology can help make a workforce more productive, here’s one you might not have thought of: getting them bigger computer displays.

Researchers at the University of Utah conducted study a group of people while they were editing text documents and making spreadsheets. Half were using computers with 18-inch monitors, and half were looking at big 24-inch models.

The result: Subjects with the 24-inch monitor got their work done 52% faster than the others. Using a bigger monitor could save someone about 2.5 hours a day, the researchers said.

But keep in mind: While the study was performed by academics, it was paid for by NEC, a company that makes and sells computer monitors.

Also, some tasks will probably get more of an efficiency boost out of a big screen than others. Working on a spreadsheet, which is one thing the test subjects did, might be easier if you have to do less scrolling. But that doesn’t mean every task will get similar gains.

And the 2.5 hour estimate is based on an employee working on those tasks for eight hours nonstop. In an actual workplace, that number would be lower.

Bigger monitors cost more and use more power – would it make enough difference to be worth it? Maybe, maybe not. But it’s something to think about.

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