You found our guide on how to boost employee productivity.
Employee productivity refers to the output of an organization’s workforce. Productive workers know how to focus on the most essential tasks at critical junctures. Examples of ways to boost employee productivity include getting feedback, offering flexible schedules, and encouraging teamwork. These tips are critical to ensure your employees produce desired results and improve the company’s bottom line.
The tips are similar to employee motivation tips, and the advice on this list doubles as good tips for first-time managers. You can use these tips with motivational quotes and books on motivation to inspire your team and drive remote workers.
This article contains:
- how to improve productivity in an organization
- examples of employee productivity
- ways to improve efficiency and productivity at work
- how to boost employee morale and productivity
- ways to improve employee performance
Let’s get started!
List of factors affecting employee productivity
The prosperity of every company depends on the efficiency of its workforce. If you do not effectively manage your staff and get the most out of their abilities, even the most talented experts will not be of much value to you.
The first step to take if you have seen a decline in productivity at work is to learn about the factors that might influence this metric. Some factors contributing to employee productivity may be outside of your control. However, you should assess the circumstances and find solutions for the elements within your influence.
1. Staff Workload
Inadequate or excessive staff workload may be a cause of poor productivity. Burnout is a typical result of overwork because of the mental toll it takes on workers. However, a lack of labor may lead to boredom and exhaustion.
If your company is experiencing problems with the workload, then meet with your staff to explore potential solutions. For example, you can use document management programs like Monday.com and Trello that integrate with your company’s internal network. With the help of these programs, you can organize your to-do list and set specific deadlines for each item on the list.
Here is a list of project management tools.
2. Discordant Dynamics
Disputes and confrontations between workers are inevitable in every company. However, when that dispute escalates to the point that workers no longer function well together, that is when you should take action.
Workplace conflict decreases morale and may influence mental health, causing a detrimental effect on productivity. It would help if you tried to sort out employees’ differences and come up with a solution as soon as possible.
Check out this list of conflict-resolution ideas.
3. Team Morale
A lack of workplace motivation and morale may have a devastating effect on the productivity of an individual worker or a whole organization. Changes in attitude, a lack of initiative, and subpar work output are classic examples of employee productivity crises in the workplace. Therefore, you should take action as soon as possible to address any of these issues that may occur in the workplace if you want to increase productivity among your staff.
List of ways to improve efficiency and productivity at work
Finding the root causes of poor productivity among your staff is the first step in devising a plan to improve the situation. A report by Career Builder showed that at least 61 percent of workers feel burnout in their present positions. In reality, burnout is a major issue that reduces employee productivity and requires immediate attention. The following are tips on how to improve productivity in an organization.
1. Ensure an Efficient Onboarding Process for New Employees
A common misconception among employers is that they automatically have the loyalty of their new employees after the hiring process. Newer generations of workers have outgrown the old work ethic. An efficient onboarding approach is necessary to usher new hires into the business culture properly.
According to a study by SHRM, 17 percent of new recruits leave within the first 90 days because of an inefficient onboarding process. However, an effective onboarding approach increases retention by 50 percent. Extensive training, feedback, check-ins, and direct assistance are the cornerstones of a successful onboarding process. Along these lines, an organization’s structure should facilitate workers’ speed and ease in gathering as much information as possible about one another.
Here are best practices for employee onboarding processes.
2. Implement a Tracking System
To ensure productivity in the workplace, consider implementing employee monitoring software to keep tabs on your staff. The tool would allow you to monitor such employee activities as the number of hours worked, time spent on specific tasks, and app usage. Having a project management system in place will give you a head start, as you can monitor your team’s progress, completed tasks, and level of collaboration. These methods can also identify time-consuming tasks and help you streamline your systems.
Here is a list of employee monitoring software.
3. Hold Routine Employee Reviews
Holding workers accountable is a simple but effective strategy to boost productivity. You can accomplish this goal with performance evaluations. Despite becoming less common, performance evaluations are still helpful in certain workplaces. If these meetings happen at regular intervals, say, once or twice a year, they provide an excellent opportunity to review each worker’s performance, identify growth areas, and develop plans for moving forward.
Furthermore, studies reveal that most millennials would benefit from receiving more feedback but do not get enough.
Here is a list of tips for giving employee feedback.
4. Avoid Micromanagement
It is a common misconception that micromanagement and job delegation are important for increasing productivity. The opposite is actually true. When a company gives its workers more autonomy over their workday decisions, it engages in employee empowerment. Although many employers are afraid to let their workers take charge of their work, empowered employees are more likely to be productive and give ideas and solutions to their team.
Here are the signs of micromanagement.
5. Offer Monetary Incentives
It should be no surprise that there is a link between monetary incentives and productivity on the job. Offering your staff pay increases, bonuses, and rewards tied to their performance will motivate them to work more for you.
You may provide specific incentives, such as a $50 gift card for any worker who can fix a software issue in an hour, and long-term incentives, such as pay increments that correspond with experience, to motivate your team to achieve the goals.
If you own a small company or have a limited budget, there are other ways to reward staff besides monetary sales incentives. However, if you are looking for ways to improve employee performance, output, and general good spirits, consider offering incentives.
Check out our list of employee incentive ideas.
6. Promote Flexible Scheduling
There has been a shift toward more flexible schedules at work, and thus, more businesses should welcome the idea. This system offers workers some leeway regarding when, where, and how they spend their time at work. Your staff will be more engaged, productive, and loyal to the company if they have the autonomy to manage projects, their time, and their capabilities in an agile workplace. According to academics at Cardiff and Southampton, most employees working remotely are just as productive, if not more so, than their in-office counterparts.
You should encourage vacation time if you want a more productive staff overall. Your team’s ability to concentrate and do excellent work may suffer during long hours without rest breaks. In addition, you could offer your employees more leeway regarding when they come in and when they leave the office. For instance, instead of insisting that employees work from 9 to 5, you might let them choose their hours.
One reason is that various individuals have different times of day when they are most productive. If you want to get the most out of your employees, you should let them work when they are at their best. Employees can engage in activities they would not be able to do during the workweek, like running errands or helping out with child care, or they can relax and enjoy the extra time off.
7. Eliminating Excess Meetings
The purpose of meetings is to provide and receive information and ideas. Meetings help maintain tabs on employee progress and provide updates. However, too much of meetings may be detrimental. A significant drop in productivity may occur when workers are required to attend daily meetings with no purpose other than to communicate a few words of information. In addition, all the hassles of preparing for meetings can affect your team’s output.
Email or the team’s communication channel is the way to go if you need to pass on quick information. You may get better results from employees if you help them concentrate.
8. Recruit Based on Character, Not Resumes
It is easy to become stuck in a rigid recruiting process that only values formal education, prior relevant work experience, and a well-rounded skill set. However, a criterion like cultural fit is just as important.
When you hire based on good cultural fit, you bring in employees whose attitudes and actions are consistent with the company. An applicant may make a more educated choice about accepting a job offer if they have a clear idea of the company’s culture. If the cultural fit is not a part of your recruiting approach, then employees are more likely to leave or be extremely unproductive, producing tension in the office.
9. Set SMART Objectives
Managers should be clear and direct when assigning work to employees. Setting SMART objectives is essential if you want to accomplish aims. SMART stands for specific, measurable, attainable, reasonable, and timely objectives per predetermined standards. You and your staff can see how they are doing and make adjustments as necessary. Ambiguity might arise from too broad or unachievable goals.
Without well-defined responsibilities and SMART objectives, your staff would be lost and unable to meet deadlines. This situation might spell trouble for the company’s bottom line. Instead of outlining processes, focus on desired results and delegate accordingly.
Here is a list of goal setting activities.
10. Use Communication Channels and Tools
An innovative culture can contribute to higher productivity and expansion. Consequently, businesses serious about encouraging complete employee productivity must adopt a digital, collaborative workplace. The incorporation of social feeds and timeline elements into a mobile app for the workplace intranet facilitates the dissemination of company news. The workplace channel allows for the collection of vital employee feedback and the subsequent implementation of changes that may increase productivity.
11. Foster Team Communication
Successful leaders understand the importance of effective communication. According to research published by Smarp, 72 percent of workers feel separated from the organization and in the dark about crucial matters such as its strategy because they lack the essential knowledge of the company’s strategy.
For instance, consider implementing an “Employee Profiles” section on your intranet to make it easier for new hires to get to know every worker in the business, regardless of their department. Users get to know one another on a more personal level thanks to the information available on the employee profiles. Management can more easily get information about an employee’s actions in the virtual workspace as a result.
Here is a list of communication activities.
12. Invest in Employee Education and Development
Your staff’s level of preparation for their work depends on the training they have received. The higher the preparation, the higher the output. Training should help new hires learn about the organization more quickly than they could. For instance, some organizations may have their own proprietary software and hardware, making it essential for staff to get appropriate training to use these technologies effectively.
According to a Gallup study, about 90 percent of workers are dissatisfied with their training and onboarding process. As a result, more turnover and less productivity will occur if businesses fail to prioritize education and development.
Here is a list of professional development ideas.
13. Reduce Distractions
Distractions can severely hamper one’s productivity. A study published in Inc. shows it might take up to 23 minutes to get back on track after losing concentration, which is a lot to pay for tasks as inconsequential as an email or text message. However, some sources of distraction are within your power to eliminate. For instance, you may turn off any unnecessary lights, music, or other devices.
Unfortunately, the most detrimental ones, such as interruptions and alerts, are the most difficult to avoid. It would help if you openly discussed having “blackout” intervals in which you either turn off all alerts from your devices or unplug from the internet. In addition, you should encourage your workers to respect each other’s heads-down time by not interrupting each other’s work.
Here is a list of books on focus.
14. Get Feedback
When it comes to increasing employee productivity, getting feedback is just as important as providing it. It would be best if you facilitated an atmosphere where workers feel safe giving feedback on all aspects of the workplace, from the quality of the furniture and decor to the efficiency of the current policies.
With this kind of openness, you may head off morale issues before they arise. You will likely also find a wealth of new suggestions for concrete methods to boost productivity, such as introducing a new corporate policy, getting a new productivity analytics tool, or modifying the standard operating procedures for completing projects.
With these systems established, you will have a benchmark against which to measure the effectiveness of future improvements.
Here is a list of employee engagement survey questions.
15. Show Appreciation
Employees are more likely to put in extra effort when they know that the company appreciates them. Public acknowledgment can foster feelings of importance and pride. In addition to boosting morale and motivation, showing gratitude in the workplace can increase output.
Staff members who get recognition for their efforts are likelier to keep up this positive performance pattern. In a recent survey by Employee Benefits, 72 percent of workers stated they would put in more effort if they felt their efforts were recognized.
Here is a list of employee recognition program ideas.
16. Allow More Natural Light
Letting in more natural light is another unexpected way to improve employee productivity. One study from Psychology Today found that windowed workplaces provided 173 percent more white light to workers than those without windows. This group of workers slept an extra 46 minutes each night on average, had less stress, and increased output.
Your workforce will be even more content and productive due to the inverse relationship between exposure to natural light and the risk of anxiety and depression. If you do not want to renovate or move, you may use lights that mimic natural light, or you can have more of your meetings outdoors, like in the morning, to compensate for the lack of windows in your workplace.
17. Create a Shared Space for Breaks
You may equip a space in your workplace to serve as a shared break area. Although most break rooms are shared, your job is to have a space where your staff feel comfortable and encouraged to talk to one another.
When your workers are at ease chatting and socializing with one another, they will be more at ease working together, increasing productivity. You could have board games in your break room to encourage team building and use appealing decor to provide a relaxing atmosphere.
Here is a list of office break room ideas.
18. Offer the Right Resources
You should give your employees the appropriate resources to maximize productivity. You should not want your staff to waste time and energy looking for features and functions that will improve their job. The right resources will make the worker’s tasks more efficient and increase their output. If you are thinking of how to boost employee morale and productivity, invest in your work processes.
Conclusion
Even if many companies may be amid a productivity lull due to a lack of enthusiasm among their workforce, this state of affairs need not last indefinitely. Finding the source of low productivity at work is the first step in implementing long-term solutions. Creating the optimal productivity strategy is hard, but it is important. Human resource managers should seize the moment and improve workplace conditions, introduce new methods, and inspire teams to perform at a higher level by emphasizing productivity.
Next, check out our list of important HR skills, these good leader examples, these tips for successful virtual teams, and this guide to managing remotely.
Grace He