The most important component of any business is the employees – after all, having productive and happy employees is one of the key contributors to a company’s success. And, while productivity levels throughout the UK have been holding steady, as shown in a recent report from the Office for National Statistics, business leaders must focus on keeping the momentum going for continued growth.
As the world shifts and changes, so can the challenges your employees are facing both inside and outside of work, and these stresses can lead to a drop in productivity.
So, if you’re looking for ways to ensure your workforce remains productive, keep reading to learn more.
Improve The Working Conditions in Your Office
The working conditions of your employees play a significant role in their productivity, and by taking the time to improve those conditions, you can enhance how they work by making everyone more comfortable.
To get started, consider the lighting in the space; if your office is dark and only lit by fluorescent lights, consider ways to bring in more natural lights and swap to LED bulbs to create a brighter environment.
Additionally, a bland office doesn’t foster creative thinking, which could improve processes and productivity – so ensure you transform your office into a vibrant hub with plants and include your brand’s colors in the decor so that your staff isn’t staring at white walls day in and day out.
Also Read: Managing Remote Employees: 5 Key Tips for Success
Reduce The Number of Meetings You Hold
Many companies make the mistake of holding meetings for every small thing that comes up, even when an email would have sufficed. These excess meetings slow down your staff’s productivity as they cause a lot of stop-and-start work. If you’re not sure if a meeting is needed, send out a quick email or message on a collaboration program detailing what you need and end it with a message that you’re available for a quick meeting if needed.
This way, you can get responses faster and see which areas need more coverage with a meeting and which do not.
As well as trying to limit your meetings for essential reasons only and team catch-ups, poorly prepared meetings often waste more time than they need to. To avoid this, spend time preparing an agenda for the meeting and send it out to the attendees ahead of time, so everyone is on the same page when they sit down together.
Make The Work Hours Flexible
In today’s modern world, we have more efficient practices in place that allow us to get more done in less time. With this in mind, it’s no surprise that employees are often finding that their workloads are rising due to being able to get more done.
As work levels increase due to new technologies and streamlined operations, there is a risk of staff burnout. To avoid your team members becoming overwhelmed, it’s essential to not only encourage time off but also to provide more flexible working hours, which allow employees to balance their work alongside their personal lives better.
Related Post: How to Be More Flexible at Work: 7 Ways to Adapt to Changes
Provide Better Employee Training
Staff training and development are a vital part of ensuring productivity levels improve. As your business grows, you will need employees that can grow with you, and the best way to do this is to provide them with Learning Management System that they can use to develop their soft and hard skills for not just the role they’re currently in but for future roles that open up within your organization.
An LMS is an excellent eLearning tool that can help managers tackle difficult situations, team members handle dissatisfied clients, and ensure everyone is aware of the compliance regulations for your industry.
When looking for the right tool to help you provide the best training possible for your team, head over to Kallidus and check out their LMS Learning Management System.
Avoid Micromanaging Your Staff
Many leaders struggle to let go of the reins as they delegate tasks downwards as want to ensure everything runs smoothly – however, micromanaging your staff can be demoralizing and restricting, which can both lead to a dip in productivity. Instead, ensure your leadership team has all been trained on how to properly delegate and oversee tasks without micromanaging the finer details.
Additionally, if there are any team members your managers are concerned need extra help, encourage meetings that can constructively address the issue while also providing tools to help them improve as this will keep their morale high and allow them to be more productive with their time as they will be less frustrated by being micromanaged.
Improve Communication And Collaboration
Good communication and collaboration are crucial for optimal productivity and efficacy. But how can you improve these two key factors? By investing in the right technology and tools, such as Teams, Slack, Asana, and Zoom, that are designed to make communication and collaboration between team members seamless, you can ensure that your employees are working together in the most effective ways.
Furthermore, you should also focus on team building, which will contribute to improved communication and collaboration between staff members. Consider activities you can all enjoy, like team lunches once a month or outings like bowling, ping pong, and axe throwing that allow your teams to let their hair down and get to know one another.
You should also plan activities where the team can spend time together without their management, which will help them relax and bond.
Encourage Employees To Take Care of Themselves
Many employees feel like they can’t take time off when they’re unwell or need to take some for their mental health to avoid burnout, but both the physical and mental health of your employees is vital to your business. Encourage staff to take the time they need to care for themselves as this will not only help avoid them overworking themselves but also show that you care about their wellbeing.
By showing you care, your team will feel less like cogs in a machine and more like part of the company family, which will lead to great job satisfaction, improved morale, and, as a result, higher productivity.
Recognize Team Achievements
Ensuring your teams feel appreciated boosts employee engagement and facilitates them to continue increasing their productivity. However, consider your employees before you begin making public announcements, as some may love to be publicly recognized. In contrast, others may be more comfortable with private congratulations on a job well done.
Speak to your employees about what they would like and being implementing ways to show recognition of their hard work. You could publicly announce teams that have gone above and beyond in their work while sending private emails to individuals. Whatever you decide, listen to what your staff wants and how they would like their achievements to be acknowledged before you begin.
Ask For Feedback
You can improve employee productivity unless you know what aspects of your business need updating or changing, and the best way to understand what your staff needs is to ask for feedback.
Now, some employees will be more confident than others, so allowing the feedback you receive to be sent anonymously is an excellent way to get a clear picture of their wants and what needs to be adapted to improve processes to increase productivity throughout your organization.
