Ever since the Egyptians started building pyramids, there have been those who try to determine precisely how to eke out the very last bit of productivity from those who do the work. While tyrants in ages past used the whip, modern research has shown that there are far more effective ways to increase productivity while keeping both employer and employee on good terms.
Today, a mix of technology and organizational practices can help boost productivity, which in turn helps to build better relationships and increase company profits. Some of the best ways to increase employee productivity start with your company’s culture and with the belief that your people are indeed your best assets.
Below, we’ll go over how to increase employee productivity by helping them to become more engaged and invested in roles within your organization.
Provide learning opportunities
The more educated and trained your employees are, the more engaged they’ll be and the more value they’ll provide to your company. For example, did you realize that there’s a direct correlation between an increase in employee productivity and educational opportunities provided to them by an employer?
These kinds of educational programs can include such things as providing tuition assistance or in-house cross-training and employee development. Not only can this help an employee reach personal education and career goals, but it also increases the chances that the employee will be more loyal to the company and will stay longer than they perhaps would otherwise.
Provide employees with the right technology
Employees that don’t have the right tools to do their jobs are less likely to be productive. Obviously, in this case, it’s because they don’t have the resources necessary. In today’s world, that often means they don’t have access to the right technology to perform their jobs adequately.
In fact, there was a Gallup poll that showed that less than 50% of all U.S. employees feel that their companies give them the right tools to do the tasks managers ask them to complete. Executive leadership must put an emphasis on ensuring that their workers have what they need to not just do their jobs adequately but at the highest level possible.
Today, there’s almost no excuse. The cost of many types of tech and software have come down significantly as mobile devices and cloud computing become commonplace.
Create a caring company culture
While your bottom line is a primary concern, remember that your employees aren’t numbers; neither are they robots. They’re people, and they’re the biggest asset you’ve got when it comes to reaching the goals you’ve set for your organization.
Your entire business can be aided or harmed by how you choose to go about developing your work environment. Companies that focus more on building relationships, rewarding even small successes, and showing real empathy and concern for the people in the organization do much better in the long run than companies with a culture filled with hard-nosed, punitive policies.
Productivity declines sharply in an environment where hierarchy, favoritism, individual opportunism, and good ol’ boy politics shape the company’s atmosphere.
Strengthen communication protocols
When open communication channels between employer and employee are lacking, productivity can suffer. Employees need to be able to access managers and vice versa so that clear expectations and responsibilities can be met. Moreover, there are many instances when employees need active input and help from those above them.
Remember that when there’s a free flow of communication, employees are much more likely to feel a part of, and invested in, the company’s mission and goals.
Give employees achievable goals
Your organization may have a goal of reaching Mars one day. Great. That’s a fantastic dream. However, you know that each goal is made up of smaller goals, baby steps that lead to achieving milestones on the journey.
You can increase productivity by giving your employees goals that are realistically achievable. Assign goals that you know will result in small wins — quick wins. As in the concept of precept upon precept, each can be built upon until a much larger goal is realized. Setting goals in this fashion will help your employees’ self-confidence and overall motivation.
As previously suggested, providing rewards for even small successes also goes a long way in boosting overall productivity.
Create a caring company culture
Your employees are the best asset your company has. If improving employee productivity is important to you at all, then you must provide them with learning opportunities and give them the right technology, tools, and resources. Create a caring company culture and strengthen your communication lines. Give your people goals they can actually achieve.
Don’t be stingy with rewards, and don’t be quick to punish. Most Americans spend more hours in the workplace with co-workers than they do with their own families. Given that fact, creating a warm, caring environment filled with incentives is a sure way to increase employee productivity. It’s a win-win for everyone involved.
