by 7 Ways to Increase Workplace Productivity Today
As an employer, you know that workplace productivity is the cornerstone of successful work culture. You also know it’s not always easy to achieve.
There are a lot of ways to measure employee productivity. That said, the one factor you shouldn’t measure is the number of hours people work. Instead, you should focus on the work your employees put in those hours.
How do you make sure your employees make the most of their workday? The following seven productivity tips may give you a few solid ideas!
- Avoid Micromanaging
Owning a business can make micromanagement very tempting. After all, nobody knows what your company should do better than you.
The issue: micromanaging isn’t good for productivity. It may make people feel you don’t trust them, potentially stressing them out. It also slows things down, as your employees have to double-check everything they do.
Now, this doesn’t mean you should leave employees to their own devices. A good employer should oversee projects and be available. The key is to find the right balance between being too hands-on and too trusting.
If you’re prone to micromanagement, try to deal with it by hiring people you can trust. Focus on their skills, professionalism, and judgment. And even with the right hires, it’s best to provide easy-to-follow instructions as well.
Another way to resolve this problem is to ask your employees how they want to be managed. Different people like different amounts of supervision in their work.
- Provide the Right Tools
Another way to improve worker productivity is to provide them with effective tools. The tools they need fall into three main categories:
- Collaboration tools
- Performance management tools
- Communication tools
Collaboration tools help make teamwork more efficient, especially for remote teams. This category includes tools for creating content together, such as Google Workspace. It also includes task management tools like Trello.
Performance management tools help you figure out which processes can be more efficient. They also help you review employee progress and individual performance. Here’s a list of the best performance management tools.
Finally, communication tools allow your employees to stay in touch with one another. That’s particularly important in hybrid workplaces. Popular communication tools include Slack and WhatsApp. Getting also an online fax application is a great communication tool too. Sending legal documents won’t be a hassle but a secure and convenient method of communicating information to your clients.
- Mitigate Distractions
It’s in human nature to get distracted from time to time. If those distractions are impacting your productivity, though, you have a problem.
Studies show that cell phones are the biggest distraction in the workplace. One way to mitigate it is to require keeping phones on “silent” while in the office. You can also try to confine non-work conversations to the break room.
Whatever you do, you must avoid being too draconian with your guidelines. Otherwise, your employees may feel they’re getting treated like children. That goes for other distractions as well, such as social media and gossip.
Mitigating distractions should be a priority for home workers. Potential solutions include keeping the “office” door closed and not using social media on work devices.
- Identify Motivation Killers
Motivation is a key part of productivity in the workplace. The more motivated your employees are, the more efficient they’ll be at their jobs.
Unfortunately, every business comes with its motivation killers. Some common culprits include:
- Stress due to lack of support or working too hard
- Feeling underappreciated
- Lack of career advancement opportunities
- Boredom at work
- Negative employees who bring people down
If you identify some of these issues in your workplace, it’s important to deal with them right away. For example, if someone’s being negative, offer support to them. Try to get to the bottom of what’s bothering them.
- Cut Down on Meetings
As an old business rule says, most meetings should be emails. Pointless meetings waste more company time than just about everything else.
It’s easy to see, then, why simply cutting down on meetings can be a big productivity boost. Before you organize one, ask yourself if you can convey the same information via email or phone. If you can, do that instead.
Even if the meeting is essential, you should respect everyone’s schedule. By creating an agenda and sticking to it, you can start and end the meeting on time. Make sure to build in enough time for questions and discussion.
- Invest in Employee Training
In many industries, the nature of a job can change on a whim. In this case, ensuring your employees can keep up is huge for company productivity.
By investing in employee development, you show your employees that you’re committed to their growth. For many of them, this will serve as inspiration to invest their hard work into your company.
Training your employees has other benefits for your company as well. For starters, widening their skill set allows them to do their jobs better. As they get more knowledgeable, they can help shape the future of your company.
In other words, investing in employee training encourages growth at both the individual and business levels. Plus, competing with the best often requires keeping up with the latest trends.
- Promote Wellness
Advocating for wellness initiatives in your workplace is a great way to make employees happier and more productive. Some examples include:
- Providing robust health insurance coverage
- Having healthy snacks in the break room
- Offering discounts on fitness programs and gym memberships
- Providing a confidential support program
- Ensuring your employees get enough time off
Many of these initiatives can help remote workers as well. Remote work is also about environmental factors such as lighting and temperature. Check if your remote employees are working in a comfortable environment.
Keep in mind that taking care of your employees’ wellness isn’t about telling them how to exercise or what to eat. Instead, it’s about doing your part to ensure that healthy options are accessible and affordable.
The Secrets to Workplace Productivity
Increasing workplace productivity won’t happen overnight. Still, following these tips will lead to incremental changes that add up to getting more done. Remember: if you support your employees, they’ll return the favor!
Want to know more about how to increase productivity among employees? Keep checking out our Business section!
