Have you worked with an unproductive colleague? Someone who doesn’t really want to be there and slacks off. They’re the one scrolling through their phone or taking endless coffee breaks rather than cracking on with work. That can send ripples of discontent throughout the team.
As a business owner, you know you need decent productivity levels to reach your targets. But how do you make that happen? Do you need to throw money at the situation and expand your workforce? Absolutely not. First, take a look at your current team members and their productivity levels. Could you motivate them to be more productive?
A team of highly productive employees doesn’t just happen. It takes effort by leaders and managers to nurture, engage and motivate them to perform at optimum levels. In this blog, we’ll share effective strategies to enhance team productivity and get the best out of your employees.
What is Employee Productivity?
Employee productivity is a measure of how much work an employee delivers within a certain timeframe. That’s likely to look different from one team to another, one company to another. For example, sales teams have different goals and outputs to human resources or finance teams. Those productivity levels may relate to closed deals, invoices paid, customer queries resolved or tangible products created. Consequently, productive employees can help businesses to increase profits, deliver excellent customer service and resolve more issues.
How to Measure Employee Productivity
Workplace productivity needs to be measured in terms of business impact. Ultimately, productivity levels affect your bottom line.
When you understand your company’s productivity levels, it’s easier to make forecasts and plans. By understanding where you are now, it’s easier to get to where you want to be. By measuring employee productivity, you can identify areas for improvement and implement the best solutions.
But how do you do that?
For starters, it’s not about watching the clock and ensuring strict work hours between 9 and 5. Start by working out the amount of time team members are spending on specific tasks. Software like Slack, Asana and Click Up can help you to track and monitor this. When you have a picture of where your employees spend their time, you can make sure it’s in the right places.
Keep an eye on the performance metrics that matter for your team. Regularly analysing workflows can highlight problems, as well as opportunities, that you can act upon to improve operational efficiency.
It sounds simple, but check in with your employees too. Regular performance reviews or one-on-one meetings can alert you to issues like production bottlenecks or learning gaps. It’s far more effective to nip an issue in the bud than let it escalate.
Try This Simple Productivity Technique
Poor time management and not knowing where to focus attention are key reasons for poor productivity levels. Fortunately, there’s a straightforward solution to this.
I’m a big fan of The Ivy Lee Method. It’s simple and effective. Pioneered by PR executive Ivy Lee, this productivity technique is about tackling your most important tasks first.
At the end of each workday, write down the six most important things you need to accomplish tomorrow. Put them into priority order. The next day, start by focusing solely on the first task until it’s finished. Then, move on to the second, then the third, and so on. It’s a beautifully simple way to get work done – the right work at that.
Effective Ways to Motivate Team Members and Enhance Productivity
Look at Their Work Environment
Did you know that a simple change to a person’s workspace or physical environment can boost productivity? Switch around the seating plan in your office. Allow remote working or encourage people to spend time back in the office. Even those who are resistant to change, may become more productive with a change in working environment. When you change gear mentally, it can increase productivity.
Maybe it’s time for an office refurb. Maximising natural light is said to increase productivity. Making the workspace attractive and appealing – think interesting artwork, comfortable ergonomic chairs, plants and decent storage space – all contribute to increasing employee engagement, satisfaction and productivity levels.
Instil a Culture of Accountability
When there’s accountability ingrained in a company, you’ll get more out of people. Stop micromanaging and start trusting and empowering your team members. It’s a powerful motivator. That accountability isn’t just to their managers and business leaders, but also to their colleagues. That shift of responsibility can vastly improve teamwork.
Set Achievable Goals
Make sure the KPIs that you set for your team members are SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, time bound). Chat about their interests and ambitions too. Then you can align those factors with company goals. People are more likely to work hard on a project that interests them or stretches them to develop in an area that they want to pursue.
Promote Employee Recognition
Don’t let hard work go unnoticed. When an employee receives praise for hard work, it reinforces their behaviour and makes them more likely to repeat it.
It doesn’t have to be about smashing a sales target or sealing a deal. Praise for smaller achievements is valid too. Thank the person who cleaned up the shared drive; took the new hire under their wing; figured out how to optimise a workflow; or organised a collection for a birthday gift. All of these gestures make a positive impact on the company culture and employee morale.
Ensure a Welcoming Employee Onboarding Process
Being the new employee can be intimidating and scary. It’s important to make the onboarding process a positive experience. And that extends way beyond the new hire’s first day. Glassdoor found that a strong onboarding process can improve new hire retention by a staggering 82%.
In the first instance, partner them with a buddy who can show them around and introduce them to key team members. Ensure they have the right tech equipment, login details and access to necessary files and software. Beyond that, new hires value being given relevant training, having regular check in meetings to give and receive feedback, and ongoing support. A Gallup survey found that 88% of employees think their employer did a poor job with the onboarding and training process. That’s a surefire way to have a disappointed and dissatisfied employee.
Provide Training and Development Opportunities
It’s not just new employees that value training. By offering training and development opportunities to all team members, they’re likely to repay you with increased effort and positivity.
Employee training programs help people to improve or develop new skills. In turn, that makes them more productive. It also boosts employee morale by showing that you recognise their potential and want them to achieve more.
That doesn’t always mean costly training courses. You could introduce mentorship schemes, skill sharing sessions or online courses (such as LinkedIn).
Prioritise Employee Wellbeing
This can look different from one organisation to another; one employee to another. Some companies will offer healthcare and wellness programs as part of their employee benefits. But smaller businesses can also look after their employees. Simple things like encouraging downtime, lunch breaks and to take their annual leave can make a positive impact on employee health and wellness.
Workplace stress and pressure have a negative impact on mental health. Being mindful of this, and encouraging your team to look after themselves will help employee morale. Whilst a business owner may be happy to work 24/7, your employees need a better work-life balance. Make it easier for them to achieve this with flexible working options and a positive company culture that encourages realistic working hours and supportive teamwork.
Flexible Working
The pandemic propelled remote working into our daily experience. Advancements in technology make it a realistic option. Some people thrive working from home and find their quality of work improves in a more isolated workspace. Others prefer to be in the office environment surrounded by fellow team members. That’s why offering flexible working options can bring out the best in each and every team member.
Initiatives like the 4 day working week are becoming increasingly popular. Businesses who have adopted this model report no impact on productivity levels. Having motivated and revitalised employees means that their quality of work and output level remain high.
Open Communication
Clear communication is a key factor in success. When business leaders share their company vision, and encourage their teams to play their part in achieving it, it tends to boost employee engagement and motivation. When employees understand where the business is heading, the challenges it faces and what they need to do, they’re more productive.
Open communication needs to go in both directions though. It’s not just about leaders and managers telling employees what’s going on. Their employees need to be able to provide feedback, to ask questions and to have a two-way dialogue. This contributes greatly to a positive company culture.
Get the Best Out of Your Employees
Optimising employee productivity and ensuring employee engagement and satisfaction will have a major impact on your business success and its bottom line. It pays to invest time and effort into putting the right processes, procedures and company culture in place. Then you need to monitor it and watch out for any changes that need attention.
How are your leadership skills and team management techniques? I’ve helped hundreds of business leaders and managers to hone their skills and find the best solutions for their teams. I can help you too. Get in touch and we can chat
