When it comes to productivity in the workplace, how productive are you? Do you feel like there are definitely areas you can improve on or certain employees who need more support to reach goals and targets?
One report disclosed to the BBC suggested that only 13% of the workforce feel confident that they are getting maximum productivity within the working week, and many employees feel like they aren’t gaining the momentum they need to be truly productive as they know they can be.
There are many barriers that can affect a business’s output, and first and foremost, you need to take a long hard look at what is and isn’t working to allow you to make changes for the better and fix any concerns raised by yourself or your team.
The following strategies can be implemented to help your business achieve full productivity or at least improve your output to allow you to get more done.
Flexible and Remote Working
Businesses state that employees are 13% more predictive when working at home, while at the same time, 50% of employees feel happierworking from home. Remote working won’t be applicable for every employee or even business, for that matter. Still, if it is within your capacity, it can be extremely beneficial in helping you achieve your goals. Work with your employees to identify where you can benefit from allowing workers to work remotely, who would be best suited for it, and what you need to have in place to ensure continuity of service, ongoing support, data protection, and anything you need to support the business and the employee in this situation. Alternatively, allowing flexible working schedules can help reduce sickness and time out of the office by allowing employees to alter their working day as required to take random work-from-home days if needed, i.e., if their child is ill or they are struggling to get to the workplace for any reason. Allowing them to work from wherever they can makes all the difference between whether or not they are actually working that day.
Outsourcing and Automation
If you find you are getting bogged down in time-consuming, repetitive tasks or tasks you are ill-equipped to carry out, they take up more time than they should. Looking at outsourcing partners or implementing new software can help you to eliminate this from your day. For example, if you spend 2 hours daily dealing with HR issues within the workplace, this is 10 hours of per week you are unable to put your time into doing what you need to be doing.
Outsourcing your HR can help give you that time back while still maintaining standards. The same is true for implementing an IT managed service. If you are always experiencing downtime or your technology isn’t up to date, then using a third party who can manage your systems and keep them up and running can allow you to be confident you avoid any major issues.
Automation can be a lifesaver for businesses manually inputting data or having to sift through data collected and compile it. Installing software that does this automatically can free up time and allow you and your team to get on with the more important aspect of running the business.
Set Attainable Goals
If you have nothing to work towards or any motivation to hit targets, then chances are things will be taking longer than necessary. Assess your goals daily or weekly and implement new goals and targets frequently based on performance to help push your team and get more from them. Try to establish your goals on what each person is capable of doing, and try not to implement goals that are out of their reach. While it’s good to push them, they need to be able to feel their target is realistic and a challenge rather than impossible. So sit down, look at what they are currently doing, and slowly start to push the boundaries to see what everyone is capable of.
Reduce Time Wasting Activities
Could that meeting have been an email? Did everyone need to be on that conference call? While these are popular memes, they are also true. Many businesses feel like meetings are the way forward when in reality, many can actually be an email and simply waste people’s time. Try to limit how many meetings you hold and ask yourself if everyone needs to be in attendance. Allow remote connections via video call if not everyone can make it to the office to allow you all to save time.
Increase organization, put proper protocols in place, and establish a chain of command so everyone knows what to do in different situations and who to call. Being more organized can limit how much time is wasted trying to find important details and files or simply doing the job they need to do. Use collaboration tools to keep teams in the loop, encourage socialization in break times and lunches, not the work day, and allow your team the opportunity to access training or support manuals to help them develop the skills they need to do their job easier.
Encourage Not Demotivate
One of the biggest reasons employees don’t perform to their capabilities is how they are treated in the workplace. If you are constantly berating and belittling your team, then chances are they are already quite quitting and not giving it their all. Look at how you communicate, your words, and your actions, and work on developing a healthier, more supportive workplace. Doing this can help you to encourage your team to reach goals and hit targets, not walk out of the door, leaving you struggling. Ask for feedback, give constructive feedback, and remember, employees are the backbone of your company; if you need them to operate, then you need them onside to get the most from them.
Conclusion
Improving productivity can be different for every company. However, implementing the techniques in the post, amongst others, and tweaking them to your business can allow you to see what everyone can achieve in their working day and help you improve productivity and increase capacity so your company thrives and grows.
