Guide: What is Workplace Productivity and how to increase it?
In this article you will discover effective strategies and actionable tips to optimize your work routine, boost productivity and achieve your goals. There are several ways how to define workplace productivity and there are many methods how companies and individuals can increase employee productivity in the workplace.
Enhancing productivity does not mean increasing the amount produced by investing more time, money, materials or employing more workers. It means working smarter. In today’s world, it is necessary to know how to do more and better, investing less time, manpower, money – spending less resources. Increasing work productivity is relevant in every company.
The more productive the employees are, the higher the company’s profit is, which also benefits the employees themselves by receiving bonuses and improving the working environment. As overall productivity increases, it is possible to pay higher wages and raise living standards in general.
What is workplace productivity?
General concept of workplace productivity is the value each team member brings to the success of the overall business. It measures the output of individuals or teams to better understand how an organization can optimize its workflow. Employees are one of the most important and often the most expensive company resources. Therefore, when competing with other companies, employee productivity is very important.
A lot of employers at some point are faced with the fact that employees are not working productively enough. Most employees try to work productively and are always looking for ways to complete all duties as best and as quickly as possible, but care and diligence alone are not always enough. It is not enough to work hard, you must also work smart. It’s a big challenge to figure out how to get more out of your employees without burning them out.
Fortunately, there are some very good strategies that can be used to improve employee productivity. And we have collected them in 8 actionable steps you can implement in your work routine:
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Clear goals
Employees primarily need to know why they do the work. An employee can, of course, simply come to the office to write reports, send e-mails and attend conference calls, but this will mean little if the overall goals of the company are not known.
It is necessary to determine what are the goals you want to achieve and to indicate how all employees can work towards reaching their goals – from creating presentations to writing projects, submitting reports or competing other relevant tasks. This goal oriented approach gives employees a greater understanding of the corporate objectives and motivation to work as best as possible to achieve something greater.
Employee evaluation and acknowledgement
While evaluating employee productivity and work performance is by no means a new idea, it is important that standards and guidelines are set in such a way that employees feel valued and motivated. Every employee needs recognition, because once they they want to feel a sense of belonging and be appreciated, which has a significant impact on productivity.
Appraisal is one of the most powerful factors affecting productivity – recognition and reward from the employer. In order for the employee to feel satisfied with the work done, it is necessary to provide feedback. For example, the opportunity to go on business trips or participate in events promotes the involvement of employees and creates enthusiasm, the desire to achieve better and better results.
The employee evaluation system can make an important contribution to the promotion of work efficiency:
- Improves employee productivity;
- Motivates and encourages employees;
- Creates a positive culture in the company;
- Helps retain the best employees in the company;
- Reminds employees of the company’s values.
Remote work
Did you know that employees who work from home work more hours and are more productive? A recent study by the Harvard Business Review found that remote employees are more productive than their on-site or office workers. The reason for that is that remote workers are less likely to take time off and quit.
In addition to the increased employee productivity when working from home, these employees also have greater job satisfaction. These two aspects complement each other, which is why remote working is becoming more and more popular among employers. You will most likely save more time while working remotely. Working remotely has also been known to reduce stress and anxiety and at the same time, it allows more freedom and flexibility, improves focus and productivity.
Delegation of duties
Employers often have a desire to monitor and control everything that employees do. The company may even have surveillance cameras installed to monitor that employees spend all their time at work.
But you can get more productivity out of your employees simply by delegating your power and responsibilities. This allows them to pay attention to details and see the big picture. Delegating tasks also shows trust in your employees, of course, without constantly looking over your shoulder to make sure everyone is doing everything right.
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Effective communication
All the above points agree on one main idea: we all need good communication with each other. Whether explaining a new company goal or entrusting an employee with a new responsibility, effective communication ensures that employees know their roles, are aware of what they can do to improve the company.
However, poor communication leaves many employees confused, focusing on non-essential tasks without understanding the distribution of priorities or company policies. Good communication ensures that problems are solved before they start, giving employees the opportunity to focus more on the work at hand and get more done.
Positive self-esteem
It is not only important to be evaluated by management and work colleagues, but also the ability to evaluate the work done by the employee himself. Making a to-do list and checking off what you’ve done at the end of the day can help. This will give you inner satisfaction and the desire to continue, so that at the end of the week all the scheduled tasks are completed. It is important to praise yourself for what you have done, because work productivity largely depends on your attitude towards things and your abilities.
Inner thoughts and dialogue affects how a person relates to the things and people around them. Change the thought pattern by motivating yourself with inspirational content – useful quotes, mantras, affirmations. At the end of the day, you can reward yourself for the work done, it will improve your well-being and promote productivity.
Avoid stress
Often, the work environment promotes stress, when you have to solve problems, meet deadlines or divide your attention by doing several tasks at the same time. Working under conditions of high tension is a favorable environment for personal and professional growth, if you manage to deal with it. But this tension also has a negative side – the accumulation of stress that can lead to burnout and exhaustion.
Mild stress can have a positive effect on performance by increasing adrenaline levels and concentration, whereas too much stress can be detrimental not only to the employee, but also to the work results. It causes nervousness, lowers concentration and greatly affects productivity.
Deal with distractions
Distractions are surely one of the biggest productivity blockers at the workplace. From social media to noisy colleague gossips, there are a ton of activities that we do in our workplace that rob us of our precious time and make us unproductive.
Even if we choose to work from home, we are still vulnerable to interruptions. These can be, for example, chatting with friends online, corresponding with colleagues by e-mail, noisy kids, pets or unnecessary conversations on the mobile phone.
In order to eliminate distractions, it is important to identify the most disturbing sources. This will help you focus on work that requires full concentration without distractions. To decide what is the biggest distraction, ask yourself the following questions: What am I doing ineffectively, why am I unable to complete my task? What distracts me the most? If you don’t identify the work distractions that are taking up your time, you won’t be able to solve them.
While these distractions can be difficult to avoid, you need to try to eliminate or minimize them as much as possible. Otherwise, you may find it difficult to stay on task and meet deadlines. In some cases, these distractions can even lead to lower-quality work.
The bottom line
Summarizing the above, the main route to elevate workplace productivity is to reduce the impact of productivity disruptors – distractions, stress and lack of clear goals to work more effectively and to feel valued, more satisfied in the workplace. Employee evaluation includes both appraisal and critic, but it motivates in a sense to improve one’s performance and strive to receive a positive feedback using effective communication.
More active involvement in work processes even when working remotely, sometimes delegation of tasks and internal motivation will help increase the chance to have productive working days as well as pleasant work experience. To improve both the productivity of employees and the joy of work, you can also try Luxafor productivity tools to elevate your individual as well as your team’s performance.
LUXAFOR HELPS PEOPLE TO ACHIEVE THEIR GREATEST PRODUCTIVITY LEVELS WITH A WIDE VARIETY OF OFFICE PRODUCTS. LET’S BE PRODUCTIVE TOGETHER!
