Most people aren’t innately productive. If you want to maximize your team’s output, it’s going to require a lot of planning and careful execution. That’s just the truth of the matter.
In this article, we’ll discuss some specific ways you can improve your team’s productivity across the board.
4 Tips for Driving Up Employee Productivity
Improving employee productivity isn’t as challenging as many make it out to be. It’s simply a matter of recognizing where you’re coming up short and implementing new processes to ensure employees remain focused and energized.
In essence, it’s about setting your team up for success. Here are a few tips:
- Implement Flex Scheduling
The old 9-to-5 schedule of clocking in and clocking out is no longer the preferred method. For businesses that want to maximize productivity, flex scheduling is the new best practice.
“A flex schedule allows employees to work outside traditional hours during the times that are most convenient for them, or when they feel they’re most productive,” Indeed.com explains. “While many flex schedule arrangements require employees to complete a minimum number of hours each week or work a percentage of their time during traditional hours, they’re also able to build a schedule around other commitments and achieve a better work-life balance.”
Flex scheduling can be implemented in many capacities, including flexible time (show up and leave when you want to each day, so long as you’re working 40 hours per week) and flexible working arrangements (choose two days per week to work remotely).
The benefit of flex scheduling is that employees can tailor it to their own needs. For example, if an employee is a morning person, they can show up at 7 a.m. (rather than 9 a.m.) and clock out by mid-afternoon. If another person is a night owl, they can show up at noon and work until 8 p.m.
- Don’t Micromanage (Do This Instead)
Business owners and managers usually think they’re setting their employees up to be productive by carefully overseeing their daily tasks, but they’re often having the opposite effect. In most cases, micromanagement slows people down and causes them to be less productive.
If you want your team to be more productive, stop micromanaging. Instead, set clear expectations and deadlines and then give them the freedom to complete tasks. But the key is to have an open-door policy. This allows employees to come to you when they have specific problems or needs.
- Improve the Office Setup
Your office setup has a direct impact on an employee’s productivity levels. More specifically, you should pay attention to the ergonomics of their individual workspaces.
Workspace ergonomics refers to how well optimized chairs, desks, computer monitors, and lighting are. An office that’s cramped and requires an employee to crouch, stretch, or strain is said to have poor ergonomics.
On the other hand, an office that properly supports the employee and allows them to work in a supported and relaxed way is ergonomically friendly.
One of the best ways to improve office ergonomics is to invest in standing desks for your employees. Not sure where to get them? Try BTOD.com – they’re one of the top online retailers for standing desks.
- Improve Communication
Productive teams enjoy a high degree of transparency and collaboration. If your team is lacking in these areas, it would behoove you to invest in a better communication strategy. The best rule of thumb is to communicate clearly, early, and often.
As entrepreneur Mitchell York suggests, “Be clear about your expectations of them. Wherever possible, keep people informed about the whole business. They’ll want to know about both the good and bad—and particularly about anything that impacts their jobs.”
The key is to back up what you preach. So if you expect them to take feedback (good or bad), you must be willing to receive the same type of constructive criticism regularly.
Maximize Your Team’s Productivity
Improving your team’s overall productivity starts with improving individual productivity. And in order to improve productivity on an individual basis, you have to get to know your employees and what makes them tick.
Go ahead and implement the tips highlighted above. However, don’t use blanket strategies as a free pass to not develop individual relationships with your employees. The more you lean in and get to know people, the better you’ll be able to cultivate a productive work environment for all.
