Productive employees are the bedrock of any successful organization. They are the ones who get things done and make positive contributions to the bottom line. Employee productivity comes when people feel good about working hard and maximizing their efforts. It translates to better results for the company.
13 Effective ways to increase employee productivity in the workplace
Increasing employee productivity is high on the list of priorities for most businesses. Better productivity tends to mean increased ROI, higher profits, and happier employees. There are a number of ways to increase productivity in the workplace. Some methods are more effective than others. The key is to find what works best for your company and your employees.
Here are 13 effective ways to boost employee productivity:
- Help employees stay organized and efficient.
- Set and communicate clear expectations.
- Help employees establish routines.
- Encourage social interactions.
- Encourage breaks and downtime.
- Promote a healthy work-life balance.
- Support employees in managing distractions.
- Encourage regular check-ins.
- Build a career development plan with your employees.
- Promote employee recognition in the workplace.
- Encourage managers to conduct 1:1 meetings.
- Conduct performance reviews to boost employee development.
- Encourage managers and peers to give constructive feedback.
1. Help employees stay organized and efficient
Organization and efficiency are the key to maintaining high levels of employee productivity. Help your team stay organized and efficient by providing them with the tools and resources they need. This includes both physical tools like planners and organizers, digital tools like project management software, and even ensuring that the equipment and tools they use are maintained and operational to avoid frustrating errors and downtime.
2. Set and communicate clear expectations
Without clear expectations, it can be difficult for employees to know what is expected of them, mainly affecting those who are extremely perfectionists. This can lead to confusion and frustration, which can in turn, impact employee productivity. Be sure to set clear expectations from the start and communicate them regularly.
3. Help employees establish routines
A routine is key to maintaining high levels of employee productivity. It helps to minimize distractions and allows employees to focus on their work. Help your employees establish routines that work for them and provide structure throughout the day.
People who feel isolated and uncared for at work are not productive, pure and simple. There’s a reason why companies with strong cultures of social interaction tend to be the most successful. Encourage social interactions among employees to create a sense of community and improve employee productivity.
5. Encourage breaks and downtime
We take breaks for a reason. They help us to recharge and refocus. Breaks are essential for maintaining high levels of employee productivity. Encourage your employees to take breaks throughout the day and allow for some downtime to avoid burnout.
Something you can do to encourage breaks and social interactions at the same time is to schedule “team break meetings”. It’s really helpful when you are building a remote or hybrid workforce. Let them know that this space is meant to be a stop of their daily tasks, and that the only rule is NO WORK TALK ALLOWED! It will force everyone (including yourself) to take a break and share some laughs with your team.
6. Promote a healthy work-life balance
Organizations that try to squeeze every last drop of energy from their employees are not doing themselves any favors. A healthy work-life balance is essential for maintaining high levels of employee productivity and to retain your top talent as well. Promote a healthy work-life balance among your employees to keep them happy and engaged. Most importantly, learn how to spot the signs of burnout in remote work and how to deal with them.
Here are 15 examples of employee wellness programs that will help you promote work-life balance.
7. Support employees in managing distractions
Helping employees to manage distractions is one of the most effective ways to boost employee productivity. Distractions can come from a variety of sources, both internal and external. Identify the sources of distractions and help employees to develop strategies for dealing with them.
We know that managing and avoiding these distractions can be challenging in a remote or hybrid workplace. Something you can do to boost employee productivity in these cases is to set a smart working environment. This new way of working comes with trust and flexibility from the employer. On the other hand, employees commit to achieve goals.
Why does this help with managing distractions? With the flexibility of this work method, your employees will feel more satisfied and engaged with their work. The trust that is given to them will push them to do their best, boosting employee productivity. At the same time, this helps them focus even more on their daily tasks. If you want to learn how to set smart working in your company here is a guide so you can start on it right away!
8. Encourage regular check-ins
Checking in on a regular basis is a great way to ensure that employees are on track and meeting their goals. It also allows for open communication about any issues or concerns that may be impacting employee productivity.
Just make sure that the regular check-ins don’t become so regular that they start to interfere with a person’s work. There is such a thing as too many meetings, and these sorts of regular check-ins should be spaced far enough apart that enough time has passed between meetings for there to be real issues to discuss and talk about.
At Nailted we have found the key to agile check-ins and performance reviews. It makes it easier for HR to launch and manage these meetings. It helps managers to get involved and evaluate performance. And it makes it easy for the team to understand the feedback received. A win-win for everyone!
9. Build a career development plan with your employees
Stagnation is a productivity killer. Employee productivity tends to be highest when people are learning and applying new skills. Create a career development plan to encourage your employees to continue learning and developing new skills to keep them engaged and motivated.
Having no opportunities to continue growing can make people feel stuck. On the contrary, as their skills and knowledge grow, so will their productivity. It also makes people feel like their organization cares about them and ensures that their skill set remains relevant and marketable well into the future.
10. Promote employee recognition in the workplace
There is plenty of evidence that recognizing and rewarding people for their efforts is an effective way to boost employee productivity. Acknowledge and celebrate employees’ successes to show that you value their hard work.
36% of employees claim they leave their jobs because of a lack of recognition. This is why it is a must to provide venues for employees to congratulate and reward one another. Social capital from one’s peers is just as important as acknowledgement from management. A little recognition goes a long way in maintaining high levels of employee productivity.
11. Encourage managers to conduct 1:1 meetings
Mangers account for 70% of employee engagement, this is why you must involve them on the engagement strategy. A way of doing so is with one-on-one meetings.
One-on-one meetings are essential for maintaining open communication and ensuring that employees are on track. They also provide an opportunity for managers to give feedback and support employees in their development. So yes, it is a great idea to encourage managers to conduct regular one-on-one meetings with their direct reports.
12. Conduct performance reviews to boost employee development
Performance reviews are one of the best ways to motivate people to improve employee productivity. They provide an opportunity to give feedback, set goals, and identify development needs. Conduct performance reviews on a regular basis to help employees stay focused and engaged. It will help you build a high-performance culture, which will take employee productivity to its highest.
13. Encourage managers and peers to give constructive feedback
Constructive feedback means giving people the information they need to improve. It’s a critical component of boosting employee productivity, yet many organizations struggle to do it effectively. Encourage managers and peers to give constructive feedback that is specific, objective, and actionable.
Boosting workplace productivity means creating value for your company
Employee productivity is a term that is thrown around so much that it becomes one of those words that starts to lose its meaning. We often think of employee productivity as a numbers game – how many widgets can we produce in an hour? – but it’s so much more than that.
Employee productivity is about working smarter, not harder. It’s about using our time and resources in the most effective way possible. And it’s about creating value for our organizations.
There’s no one-size-fits-all solution for boosting employee productivity. The best approach is to experiment and find what works for your organization. There is one more tip that will help you to get started.
You can use an employee engagement software. It will help you understand your people and get everyone involved to create the best employee experience for your organization. And you know what they say: a satisfied and engaged team is equal to high levels of employee productivity!
