Your employees spend a lot of time in your place of business. It’s likely that they spend more of their lives with you and their co-workers than they do with their families or friends. It’s also possible that your employees aren’t as productive as they could be. They may be working 10 or 12 hour days accomplishing what could be achieved in an 8 hour day with some simple adjustments. Enhancing productivity in the workplace is important for employers as well as their employees. Here are some ways to improve efficiency in the workplace:
1) Get to know your employees in and out
It’s important to know and understand as much as possible about your employees’ experience and skills as well as their work style, the best way they learn and what motivates them. Enhancing productivity in the workplace will be very difficult if you aren’t assigning employees tasks based on what their strongest skills are. If you have one employee that is very personable but math and attention to detail isn’t their strong suit, you will waste a lot of precious time having them behind their desk doing spreadsheets instead of presenting ideas to clients. You may have some employees that are better morning workers and others that are more productive later in the day. One of the ways for employers to improve efficiency in the workplace is to make adjustments so you can to utilize your employees in the best way possible.
2) Put More Time and Energy into Training
Giving your employees a more thorough understanding of what their assignment is and how they will be doing it is an effective way of enhancing productivity in the workplace. If you unload a completely unfamiliar task on an employee and they have no idea where to start, they are sure to spend a lot of time being confused, procrastinating, and looking for answers in the wrong places.
3) Make Your Employees Look Forward to Work
Encouraging a low-stress work environment is great for enhancing productivity in the workplace because it will keep employees in the right state of mind to stay focused. Make sure employees feel comfortable taking breaks, don’t feel micromanaged and aren’t afraid to speak up if they have questions. Make sure they have adequate space to work, can listen to music or podcasts if they wish and are surrounded by lighting, plants and artwork to brighten the atmosphere. Another way to improve efficiency in the workplace is giving employees recognition and rewards for their work. If employees feel their hard work is appreciated, they will be more motivated to continue putting their best foot forward.
4) Encourage Work-Life Balance
By making it clear to your employees that you know they have other important things going on in their lives besides work, you will be enhancing productivity in the workplace. Since employees will have the security of knowing you will be accommodating for other obligations they have such as family or school, they won’t have to stress about it while they are working. Also, telecommuting has become one of the best ways for employers to improve efficiency in the workplace. By allowing employees to telecommute at least part of the time, they will have more time back in their day and are likely to take less sick days.
5) Set Realistic Goals and Follow Up on Them
Seek employee feedback when giving assignments and setting goals. If employees feel overwhelmed, see what less important tasks can be delegated elsewhere. That way they can focus all of their energy into the most important goals they are working towards. Creating a continuous channel of communication is an effective way of enhancing productivity in the workplace because it ensures that both you and the employee are fully aware of what they are responsible for. Follow up with the employee on a regular basis (without making them feel micromanaged) to check the status of their assignment and see if any adjustments need to be made.
Author: Jessica Cody
Jessica Cody, a native of Fairfield County, Connecticut, has a background in online marketing and public relations. Currently, she works at VHMNetwork LLC in the role of Marketing Analyst. She is a graduate of the University of Connecticut, where she studied Journalism and Political Science. She is also an avid runner with a passion for the outdoors.
