Improving Employee Productivity

At last year?s Customer Council event, our customers told us that employee productivity is a concern to them.  Maintaining an optimal level of productivity among employees is critical to a company?s success, regardless of the size of that company.  Many managers think that managing workloads of their staff is enough to maximize productivity; however, this is just a first step in making sure your employees are as productive as they can be, which in turn will lead to more profits for your business. 

Tips for improving employee productivity:

• Hire the right people - Conduct background checks to make sure an applicant?s skill level is in line with your needs.

• Manage performance - Provide clear and direct feedback to help employees know if their performance is meeting expectations.

• Ask employees what works and what doesn?t - Find out from them what would make them more productive.

• Conduct an analysis of the work place - Is it overstaffed?  Is the layout efficient?  Is the office too small?  Do your employees have good equipment?

• Build a foundation for employees - Tell them about the history of your business and your vision for the future.  Find out their expectations and career goals.

• Create a positive work environment - Treat employees fairly and keep office doors open.

• Put people on the right path - Develop a career growth plan that takes into consideration both their current skills and future goals.

• Provide training and/or career development and allow employees to attend off-site seminars and workshops.

• Treat your employees - Give them an unexpected day off or buy lunch for your team one day.

• Acknowledge contributions - Recognize each employee?s contributions and accomplishments.

• Provide incentives - These can take the form of bonuses or even Employee of the Month awards.

• Honor your promises - Failure to follow through on promises will result in a loss of trust.

• Match tasks to talents - This will help improve employee confidence.

• Provide adequate breaks - Breaks give employees something to look forward to and give them a chance to recharge before getting back to work.

• Delegate tasks - This will help promote team building.

If your employees aren?t motivated, your business will be negatively impacted by lower productivity and lower quality.  By utilizing the tips above, we hope you are able to increase motivation, and thus productivity, among your employees.