Productivity is such an important part of running a successful business. As a business leader, it is crucial that you are always looking for ways to increase productivity and ensure that your staff are kept motivated.
It is your job as a leader to notice when your staff are feeling unmotivated or have fallen into a rut, so you can do your best to build them back up. There are a number of reasons why productivity may be falling within your business, so it is a good idea to be able to identify that and respond with ways in which you can increase motivation again. So, if you are looking for ways to increase productivity within your workplace, here are our top tips on doing just that.
Offer Further Training
One reason why your employees may be feeling unproductive is that the work they are receiving is not engaging or mentally stimulating enough. Your employees may feel that their current workload is not challenging them enough, and therefore they feel unmotivated to get it done. Many people struggle to work unless they are challenged with a task. The challenge and difficulty of a task can help motivate them as they have to think a lot harder in order to complete it.
If this is the case in your workplace, then offering further training could be a good option. It would be a good idea to ask your employees and see if there are any particular aspects they would like to improve. This could be effective as if multiple people want to improve on the same thing then they can all be put in training together. Educating your staff further can not only improve productivity, but it could also increase the success of your business. Your staff will be equipped with a new skill set that they can use to boost your business further. Furthermore, if your staff are all properly trained, then there will be less of a risk of things going wrong, as there as more people are equipped with further knowledge. To learn more about the importance of staff training in the workplace, have a read of this article.
Organise The Workspace
Organising the workspace could be an effective way of increasing productivity within your business. If the office space is untidy and disorganised, you may find that people struggle to stay focused. Working in an organised environment will be much better for everyone as they can focus on their tasks, instead of being distracted by mess and disorganisation. Additionally, if your office deals with a lot of paper filing, then it is important that they are neat and organised so people can access files when necessary. If an employee has to spend a long time searching for a particular file, then they will be wasting valuable time. Keeping all your files organised will increase efficiency and productivity in your business.
Organisation tools that automate and digitise paperwork are now being adopted by companies to manage all documents efficiently, including files and data. For instance, integrating a tool like https://sense.hr/ can help manage all documents for different types of workers, with built-in AI assistance. Such tools not only manage all HR functions but also enhance organisation and efficiency in document management. Tools like JotForm can automate your signable documents, offering many options for those looking to improve their document handling processes. Adopting these modern solutions ensures that your business stays efficient and competitive in today’s fast-paced market.
In terms of how to organise your office, you will ultimately know what is best. It could be that your current system needs a small refresh, or it could need to change entirely. Whatever is needed for the office, be sure to invest in some good organisational equipment so you can keep everything in line. It could be a good idea to ask everyone to keep an eye on their own desk space and ensure they maintain the tidiness. For the communal parts of the office, investing in some large, slim shelving units would be a good idea as they can be placed around the office and store files in an organised and efficient way. Perhaps take the time to look around the office and see which parts are in need of organising the most and start with them first.
Set Goals
Setting goals for your employees could be another way to improve productivity within your business. Deadlines and goals are helpful in motivating people as they give individuals something to work towards. However, it is important to remember to be realistic when setting goals for your employees. Having a deadline can be a powerful motivator, but if your goals are not realistic, it will have the opposite effect. An unreachable target will only discourage your employees from working harder as they know that it is something they will never be able to achieve.
So, what could be useful when setting goals, is to work with your employees and create the goals together. Every employee is different, so take the time to sit down with them and find a goal that works for them as an individual. This could be extremely beneficial as it demonstrates that you value your employees and recognise that they each need different motivators to get by.
Allow Flexible Working
Another thing that could help to increase productivity within your business is to allow flexible working. The pandemic led to many people working from home for an extended amount of time, but now restrictions are lifting, a lot of businesses are asking workers to return to the office. While some people are jumping at the chance of returning to a social office environment, others may have preferred working from home. If your business can, then it could be a good idea to offer flexible working to your employees so they can manage their time better.
Offering flexible working demonstrates that you value your employee’s time and trust them to make their own schedules. Working from home may have been more productive for some people, so this is a great option to show that you appreciate the efforts of your employees and want them to be as comfortable as possible. Since the pandemic has eased, the hybrid model of working has become more and more popular for many businesses. The hybrid model dictates that employees split their working time between the office and home, so they have a great balance of the two. A 2021 study asked 1000 full-time workers about this and found that more than half of them would choose a hybrid work model. This is a statistic that you should bear in mind if you are wanting to increase productivity within your workplace.
Champion Breaks And Down Time
Working hard is always great in the workplace, but working too hard with no breaks will always lead to burnout. Burn out can leave employees feeling emotionally and physically exhausted and it will likely cause them to be unproductive and unwilling to work. Once burnout occurs, it can sometimes be difficult to find your way back to a normal working headspace, which is why prevention is always better.
One of the easiest ways to avoid burnout within your workplace is to encourage regular breaks. Ensuring that your employees take proper breaks can help them recharge and feel ready to keep on working. There is no use in pushing your workers too hard as it will not lead to any effective work being produced. Instead, champion breaks and down time and ensure that your employees know they can come and talk to you if they are starting to feel too exhausted. Being an approachable boss is an effective way of increasing productivity as your employees will know that you value their time and are willing to help with any issues.
