With the economy presenting many challenges to business at the moment, sometimes it helps to go back to basics. The most important assets to your business are your staff, they are the ones who deliver the work and can have a direct impact on your profitability. Now more than ever it is crucial that businesses are as efficient as possible, and one of the ways you can achieve this is to ensure your staff are highly productive. By making small changes you can significantly increase staff productivity and maximize your profits. Here are 10 simple ways to make your staff more productive.
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#1 – Time Management
Try using a time management program to help keep staff focused and set expectations. You can get simple time management programs that enable staff to log their hours and the work that they have completed. This pushes them to get the work done on time and gives you a tool that can help you identify ways to increase productivity.
#2 – Regular Breaks
If your staff are too overworked they won’t be productive and they will feel taken advantage of. Make sure you give your staff the opportunity to take enough breaks. Short breaks every few hours can help to improve productivity.
#3 – Exercise
Exercise has been proven to increase productivity and it will make your staff healthier and less stressed. If you can provide access to a gym, take part in a ride to work scheme or encourage staff to exercise more then you are likely to see an increase in productivity.
#4 – Targets
Set clear, regular targets that staff can aspire to so that they remain focused and have something to work towards.
#5 – Rewards
Incentives can play a big part in staff productivity, staff that feel that they are rewarded for their hard work are more likely to work harder. Incentives can anything from monetary rewards such as vouchers and bonuses to extra holiday or free memberships.
#6 – Progression
Give your staff the opportunity to progress should they perform well. Lots of employees need to see a clear progression path in order to keep motivated and see a future within the company. You don’t want to lose valuable staff because they feel they cannot progress any further.
#7 – Teambuilding
If you want your staff to work well together then regular team building sessions can really help. They will form close bonds and learn to work successful as a team. Team Building activities include things like charity challenges, working on community projects, physical and mental challenges and fun days out.
#8 – Motivation
Motivation is key to productive staff. Make sure you take the time to try and motivate your staff and create a positive working environment.
#9 – Praise
Remember to give praise to your staff when it is deserved, they need to feel valued and appreciated. If they feel undervalued they will not work as hard and their productivity will drop. A few kind words or a mention in front of the rest of the team can work wonders.
#10 – Flexibility
If you can create a flexible working environment then your staff will definitely appreciate this. Flexible working hours can provide staff with the opportunity to work at the times of the day when they are most productive
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This will work for a small business place as larger companies will need a more in depth approach to dealing with the issues
quite agree Nicola! this is really targeted towards small business, however all business sizes can implement these tips for more motivated staff
Flexibility is becoming the name of the game in the 21st century, especially with businesses relying on the virtual world more and more. So, today’s team members not only need flexible time in a day, but also choice of working from home, if need be.
In many cases employees working from home show increased productivity as compared to those working in an office environment. Considering all this “flexibility” becomes important.
Absolutely! With more families having both partners working, flexibility is a major factor. Also globalization and technology, make home working an attractive prospect for employers.
Oivas, I agree with you. I think flexibility is so crucial for all the reasons you stated. The rigidity of the office environment and the traditional business hours can work against companies, as employees may become much too constrained. Those employees who have the commitment and self-discipline to work from home should be given that opportunity. It’s ideal for parents who have young children, as they will not need to be away from them, and feeling torn between career and home. It’s a terrible dilemma that many face.
And also, as the article points out, it’s far better to let employees schedule their hours so as to work when they are most productive. The truth is, not everyone’s peak hours of productivity are during the normal business day. Being part of a company that recognizes this and makes allowances is ideal.
Here I was thinking that if you want to make you workers more productive all you have to do is pay them well. Great points, especially the exercising part, I would never have thought of that.
Haha!!! money is obviously a motivating factor but happy workers in their job satisfaction, health and morale make them more productive.
These are all excellent tips. I think it’s important to have team-building activities even for employes who work from home and who may be from various parts of the world. They can take part in virtual activities such as competing in multi-player video games, chat groups, live Webinars, private groups on social networking sites, etc.
Exercise can also be encourages remotely as via a private online group, employees can share their fitness goals and daily fitness activities so as to offer support and encouragement to one another. This, too serves as a team-building activity.
I agree that this specific list is geared more towards small business – however, it can easily be applied to any business. A larger company would just apply these tactics to individual departments or teams. It is a clear road map that can be applied as needed to specific areas of any company.
As well as being flexible, companies need to be more creative when it comes to learning the nuances of their staff. Everyone is different – but it is not impossible. Listen to the members of your team to look for the root of their individual motivating drivers!