Increasing productivity for employees is about creating incentives for employees to work harder, but also smarter.
Whether it’s through cultivating workplace happiness, loyalty, and sense of common goals, or simply introducing financial incentives, these 10 ideas will increase productivity and ultimately ensure the organization is getting the best out of its employees.
1. Share the big picture
The overarching principle for increasing employee productivity is keeping them happy and fostering the desire to work hard. The best foundation for this is to have every employee — at all levels of the company — understand the core values, mission, vision and current goals.
If an employee can appreciate where they fit in and how their role is vital to the company, they’re more likely to feel included and take on those goals as their own.
2. Lead by example
If you want your employees to ramp up their productivity, you need to show them how it’s done. Rolling up your sleeves and pitching in shows that the work that is being done is important. Just be careful not to micro-manage, nit-pick, or give the impression that you think your staff is incapable of doing the task without you. If you’re in a leadership role, give employees the opportunity to solve problems for themselves and take ownership for their work.
3. Have social outings
This can be as simple as a short lunch break away from the office with the whole team. Regular breaks are an important part of keeping brains fresh and working at their peak potential. These social breaks encourage team bonding. Feeling connected to colleagues and part of a team goes a long way to improve workplace happiness.
4. Allow non-traditional hours
Scheduling employees during the hours they work best = more productivity. Click To TweetSome people are early birds. Some people are night owls. Allowing employees to schedule their hours differently than the usual 9 to 5 means that they can work when they work best, and you can benefit from the resulting increase in productivity.
Many workplaces are now embracing remote work, allowing employees to work from home. Recent developments in technology have meant that — as long as someone has a phone and a computer — they can work from just about anywhere. The ability to work from home can mean that, instead of taking a sick day and doing no work at all, employees can stay away from the office and yet still get just as much done.
5. Give regular and consistent feedback
Employees need to feel confident that they’re on the right track and doing what they should be doing. Tracking progress and checking in with staff members at regular intervals not only allows you to keep an eye on whether they’re hitting their targets, it also allows them to ask questions and clarify anything.
Without this feedback and sense that someone is supporting them, employees can be listless or feel adrift. With consistent feedback, however, they can feel more confident in what they’re doing and can power through their workload, increasing productivity and motivation to work effectively and efficiently.
6. Introduce economic incentives at all levels
End of year bonuses and the like are often reserved for executive members of an organisation. A well-structured incentive program applied to all levels of the organisation is a simple way to boost productivity for lower level employees. After all, increasing productivity is all about providing an incentive to work hard, and sometimes there’s no better incentive than cold, hard cash!
7. Don’t underestimate the power of recognition
In saying that money is a major motivator, it’s important not to forget other factors. Recognising someone’s efforts and praising a job well done can have a powerful impact. This gesture shows that hard work is not going unnoticed and that the employee is a valued member of the team. It all feeds into the aim of fostering worker loyalty and making an employee feel included and valued.
8. Celebrate small victories
Going hand-in-hand with the power of recognition, it’s important to celebrate achievements of all levels. Don’t wait until the end of a project to congratulate someone for their contribution or to thank them for a job well done. Any time you see someone exemplifying the kind of work you are aiming for, give them a proverbial pat on the back and take into consideration how they prefer to be recognized.
9. Relax internet restrictions
This may seem counterintuitive, but allowing employees to check Facebook at work or watch YouTube videos can go a long way to increasing productivity. Short breaks are important to keep people working their best, and the ability to take a quick break from work to check social media can help people to refocus without even leaving their desk.
10. Sponsor further education
Sponsoring your employees to improve their skills or further their education shows that you’re investing in them. Not only will employees feel valued and enjoy their role, any additional training is also helping them to do their job better. It really is a win-win for the company!
At the end of the day, a business relies on its employees to produce results and make a profit. And whilst there’s a multitude of ways you can increase profits, the best method you’ve got is to boost employee productivity. But you can’t force employees to work harder, they have to want to work harder.
Putting these ten productivity tips into practice will have your employees firing on all cylinders, your workplace buzzing, and your bottom line growing.
Do you have your own tip about increasing productivity for employees? Share it in the comments below!
