What is Employee Productivity?
Employee productivity is a measure of each individual employee’s output, and it’s vital to your business’s success. In fact, employee productivity can be the determining factor of a successful company. If your employees are more productive, your business can benefit from:
- Increased Profitability
- Lower Operational Costs
- Optimized Resources
- Improved Customer Service
- Reduced Employee Burnout
- Improved Morale
- Increased Engagement
Tips for Increasing Employee Productivity at Work
When everything is going well, you probably don’t think much about employee productivity. But when there’s a major issue, everything stops. So how do you make your employees more productive? Here are 7 tips to improve and increase productivity at work.
- Improve Workplace Conditions – Make sure your employees have everything they need to create optimal working conditions. Having natural light in the office is a must and including plant life is a nice bonus. Green offices make employees more comfortable, which means they’ll be more productive. Opt for bright-colored walls instead of drab white or off-white.
- Optimize Meetings – Meetings are great when they’re necessary for communicating, but they can also waste your employees’ time. Email can be a more efficient means of communication in some cases. Only hold essential meetings and have an agenda for everyone to follow.
- Allow Flexible Schedules – Some employees are morning people, while others prefer working later in the day or at night. Allow employees to work remotely and define specific response times so they remain accountable. Using a time tracking app can be useful for productivity reports.
- Improve Office Communication – Collaboration stems from good communication and leads to optimal productivity. Use the type of communication tool you know each employee likes best. Try using Slack or Google Hangouts to build your team remotely. And when you’re in the office, engage your team by hosting company lunches or planning outings.
- Optimize Employee Training and Development – Training and development are vital to ensuring productivity and can help improve employee knowledge and performance. Utilize a Learning Management Software (LMS) that offers various courses to help employees expand on existing skills or learn new skills.
- Don’t Micromanage – Let your team take ownership of their projects and how they manage their own time and resources. Micromanagement can be second nature to managers, but you need to trust your employees to manage day-to-day operations, coaching them as needed, rather than doing their tasks for them.
- Offer Employee Perks – Think about perks that would enrich your employees’ lives. Some employees may prefer public recognition, while others may appreciate a private “thank you.” Here are some incentives you can try:
- Offer additional PTO
- Take them out for lunch
- Send a note
- Offer late arrival
- Try a wellness program
Some of these strategies may seem counterintuitive – but they work! It’s been shown repeatedly that happy and engaged employees are more efficient. Take some time to consider what’s important to your employees and implement a few of these strategies over the next month. You’ll start to see employee productivity rise, which means your business will be more successful.
