Employee and workplace productivity is a little like breathing. It is vital in keeping your company alive and thriving. And when all is going well, you probably do not think too much about it. But when things get labored, or there is a major blockage, operations quickly grind to a halt.
On the other hand, when things are going smoothly, they tend to continue without much intervention. And that is a good thing. But how do you get to that point? What turns a poor performer into a productivity powerhouse? How do you make your employees more productive? Here is everything you need to know about how to improve and increase employee productivity at work.
#1: Equip Your Team With The Right Tools
Your team’s skills are essential to business performance, but the tools they use in their work also play a huge role. Choosing the right software will make their work easier, and translates to a streamlined workflow.
Time and Productivity Tracking Apps
There are only a limited number of hours in a work day, and an infinite number of tasks your team has to complete. This is where a time and attendance system makes it easy to track your team’s hours and productivity with activity rates, so your business can improve workplace efficiency. With our time and attendance software you can save your business time and money, monitor punctuality and absenteeism in your business, reduce costly errors that can happen when using a manual tracking system. And, simplify the process of payroll.
#2: Improve Cultural Fit with Better Recruiting
Zappos famously approaches hiring more like a courtship than a typical recruitment process. Future employees are screened, first and foremost, for how well they will fit in with Zappos’ Family Core Values.
Such a strong focus on cultural fit even before employees log in their hour can save time and money down the road. In a post for RecruitLoop, Manager Foundation’s Keith Tatley writes: While on the surface cultural fit may not seem like a critical factor in the hiring process, it is arguably one of the most important selection criteria.
Conversely, nabbing an employees that does fit your company culture is likely to energise other employees. This results in increased motivation and productivity.
#3: Improve Employee Skills with Training
Once screened, hired, and on the job, training is a crucial part of ensuring productivity. A 2013 study in the International Journal of Science and Research found that training greatly benefits both employers and employees. Proper training also leads to greater efficiency and productivity.
Across the study, this held true for both new and existing employees. By improving your training processes, you can train new hires without losing your mind. It works for us, and it can work for you.
#4: Encourage autonomy by not micromanaging
So, what is the most effective tools for increasing team productivity? It is surprisingly having managers back off. The best way to encourage productivity is to encourage individuals to take ownership over how they manage their own time and resources.
This is a wonderfully self correcting process: we want people who are self starters are are able to operate independently. Granting workers freedom over when, how, and where they work creates proof of their work ethic in a way that trying to control them cannot.
It is counter intuitive: manage less and get better results. But science backs up this premise. Most people are more strongly motivated by autonomy than financial rewards. So, just stay out of the kitchen. It sounds simple, but it is not easy.
#5: Boost Productivity by Encouraging Self Care
Between 1996 and 2000, the number of employees calling in sick to work due to stress tripled. And what is the most common source of stress? The American Institute of Sttress says that “occupational pressures and fears are far and away the leading source of stress for American adults.”
That is a big deal. Even when they do show up, excessively stressed employees are physically, mentally, and emotionally unhealthier. They are also less productive. When your team is stressed, everybody loses. But the right kind of stress is actually motivating and good for productivity. The aim is to combat burnout before it happens. How? By encouraging team members at all levels to care for their mental, physical, and emotional health.
This means doing all the things necessary to foster a healthy, communicative company culture:
- Listen to employees
- Offering constructive feedback
- Giving employees challenging, meaningful work
- Establishing clear parameters for success