Eight Strategies to Improve Employee Productivity

Employee productivity is an important factor in the smooth running of your business. It doesn’t only affect the bottom line, but it also impacts employee morale and job satisfaction, which are important ingredients for business growth.

In today’s fast-moving business environment, companies are looking for easy ways to boost productivity and stay ahead of the competition. In this article, we have provided 8 effective strategies to achieve that.

  1. Assign Tasks

On paper, assigning tasks may seem like an easy way to boost employee productivity. However, in practice, it isn’t.

Many business owners deem their company too precious that they find it hard to delegate tasks, especially important ones. While it’s typical of business owners to prioritize quality, shouldering little business tasks instead of assigning them to capable individuals can waste your time.

Rather than go down that road, assign tasks to qualified employees, believing that they will execute the tasks as required. This doesn’t only allow you to focus on other important tasks, but it also allows your employee to gain valuable skills and experience that would come in handy for your company. Remember you hired them to work for you, so let them do their job.

 

  1. Collect Feedback

As you offer instructions to employees, it’s also important to collect feedback. Doing so can create a comfortable workplace environment, thus improving the employees’ productivity.

Don’t be that boss who only gives instructions like a trainer in a Navy Seal boot camp. You’ll create a hostile work environment which could affect employee productivity.

Allow employees to share their concerns about the work environment. You can also add ambient noise in the room or ask for their suggestions on new rules.

Again, let employees feel included and engaged. They aren’t robots programmed to receive information without sharing their thoughts.

 

  1. Add some greens in the office.

Plants aren’t only suitable for the windows in your home. They also have an important role to play in the office.

In addition to beautifying the office workspace, plants can boost employee efficiency and productivity, and they do this by producing more oxygen and giving a more natural feel to the office space.

Place plants on employees’ desks and throughout the office for significant impact.

 

  1. Concentrate on employee training

Want to see employee productivity improve? Train them!

Scheduling employee training is one of the best ways to improve their productivity as it prepares them to take on any task that might be thrown at them.

Your training should focus on basic, non-basic, and important computer tasks.

For instance, you want to ensure that your employees know how to scan a pdf for viruses. It is an important task every employee should master to protect their business data from security threats. You also want to ensure that they know how to input data, file records, etc.

Aside from improving their productivity, employee training also helps employees get acquainted with their new organization, the company’s resources, internal tools, etc.

Consider incorporating Cisco phones for seamless communication during training sessions, enhancing collaboration and ensuring effective knowledge transfer.

 

  1. Cut down distractions

Distraction is the number one enemy of employee productivity. And while you may be thinking of employees’ phones as a major source of distraction, you should know that they are just the tip of the iceberg.

There are a lot of distractions in the workplace, and you must identify and address them to increase employee productivity.

In addition to mobile devices—which are the number one source of distraction in the workplace—you should focus your attention on other types of workplace distractions like:

  • Gossip
  • Email
  • Conversations with co-workers
  • Meetings
  • Smoke or snack breaks
  • Noisy co-worker
  • Sitting in a cubicle

Remember, it can take 23 minutes for employees to reconcentrate if their attention is broken—that is a lot of time to get some tasks done.

Try to focus on the distractions that are easily controllable while encouraging employees to respect each other’s work time.

 

  1. Create clear and focused goals

How do you expect employees to be productive when you give them nothing to aim for? Or when the goals you provided are vague and unachievable?

If your goals aren’t well defined and achievable, employees will be less productive—it is that simple. So, always ensure that employees’ tasks are clear and achievable.

Let them know what you want them to do and how the results will impact the company or business.A good way to achieve this is to ensure that your goals are specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and timely (SMART).

And before delegating tasks to your employees, ask yourself if they match these requirements. If they don’t, try to see if they can be modified to ensure that your employees remain focused and productive.

 

  1. Match tasks to skill

Don’t hire employees without understanding their skills and behavioral style, as you need these details to improve efficiency in the workplace.

For instance, if there are introverted, creative, and out-of-the-box thinkers in your workplace, you wouldn’t want to assign them basic office tasks or rule-intensive assignments that could overwhelm them or make them struggle. Instead, you probably want to assign them tasks that involve pitching ideas to clients.

On the other hand, asking your employee to be a Jack of all trades isn’t advisable. Instead, you should ask yourself: is “employee A” the right person for this task? If the answer is no, assign the task to another individual, especially one well-suited for the task.

 

 

  1. Encourage employees with personalized incentives.

One of the easiest ways to encourage employees to be more productive is not by compelling them but by giving them a reason to do so. Recognizing your worker’s efforts and offering them incentives to appreciate their input in your business encourage them to increase their productivity.

That said, how do you offer employees incentives? Do you just walk into the grocery store and purchase whatever you feel is right for them? No!

First, try to understand their preference.

Is there a certain employee that appreciates a genre of book? Get it for the individual! What of the employee that loves watching movies? Get the individual a movie ticket for him and his family.

You can also consider offering employees extra paid time off without using their vacation or sick time; it’s a much better alternative to a bonus or raises.

Take them out for a meal: You can take employees to lunch, dinner, or happy hours. Or, if you are practicing social distancing, we recommend sending a GrubHub or a customized DoorDash gift card.

Send a handwritten note: There is always something special about handwritten notes. You can send one to your employee to show your appreciation for their great effort. Doing this will certainly encourage them to do more for your company.

Lazy Monday coupons: You can also try “Lazy Monday” coupons. They are coupons that allow employees to come late on a Monday morning.

Wellness program: You can also try implementing a workplace wellness program to reduce the number of sick days in the workplace. This will help cut down your company’s overall health insurance expenses.

 

Conclusion

Improving employee productivity is important for the success of every business. By setting SMART goals, offering constructive feedback, leveraging technology and implanting policies that promote a friendly work environment, you can increase your productivity and move your business to new heights.

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