5 ways to increase productivity in the workplace

For your organization to grow continuously, your employees have to do so as well. This invariably means that their productivity is very important to the growth of your business.

Here are five (5) tips on how to improve employee productivity:

1. Constant Training: Employee training (of both new and existing employees) is an efficient way to ensure productivity. When they are well trained, they perform better and are even happier at work. Training should be aligned with the employee’s preference and the needs of the organizations. Don’t randomly assign your employees to a training just because. There has to be a need first.
2. Encourage autonomy in the workplace: In our last post on micromanaging, we highlighted when it can be useful in the workplace, however, this shouldn’t be a recurring system. When employees are allowed to take ownership of how they manage their time and resources they perform better. As Steve Jobs said, “It doesn’t make sense to hire smart people and then tell them what to do; we hire smart people so they can tell us what to do”
3. Culture fit: There are so many aspects to running a successful organization, and what typically brings everything together is the company culture. How do your employees interact with each other? How do they interact with the customers? Suppliers? Etc. When hiring, make sure to focus on the culture fit as well. Know your core values as a business and hire people who align with these values. A company’s core values guide its culture. So for example, a core value of collaboration might result in an open door policy where subordinates can interact freely with their superiors, without any formality. This may not sit well with people of a certain background.
4. Encourage your employees to de-stress: Stress, when not combated early can lead to burnout. Employees who are overly stressed will not perform productively. As managers and business owners, encourage employees to maintain a healthy lifestyle i.e. a good work-life balance, adequate sleep, workout etc. By having a good mental, physical and emotional well-being, employees will be more present at work and therefore, perform better.
5. Effective Communication: Employees who know exactly what they are supposed to be doing will perform more effectively than those who do not. Establish clear parameters for success, and clearly communicate expectations and responsibilities. Spend time talking about future goals and aspirations for the company and how to get there. Learn from past mistakes and ensure to approach negative situations in a positive and productive way.