Management

Management Practices that Can Improve Employee Productivity

Productivity

Let us put it simply, productivity is doing more work in less time, at the same time not jeopardizing the quality of the work done and not wearing yourself down, making productivity boost a short term effect. We have to work again tomorrow, at least the majority of us, therefore it is better to think ahead and create an environment that will have a long lasting positive effect. Thus, improving employee productivity can turn out to be a rather tricky task. Also, bear in mind that the whole employee hierarchy, top and middle managers, supervisors and workers, to name a few, should be covered and will benefit from productivity improvement practices. The list of possible suggestions and ways to improve employee productivity could be quite long. This time we will concentrate on just a couple of them.

Timing your work

It is common knowledge that one of the crucial things you have to master when it comes to any type of work is to finish within the given time limits. You heard it a million times, time is money. However, this is not the kind of timing we have in mind here. We are talking about continual communication with workers at all levels, constant following of their work and synchronously providing timely suggestions that improve the work process and enable faster and easier way to reach your goal and finish the task. This brings a number of long term productivity benefits. For a start, the workers will better acknowledge the importance of their work and its influence on the final result. They will feel as members of the team and give their best for the team to succeed. On the other hand, you have to show that you respect their individuality and their participation in your team. This brings us to another important productivity improvement practice.

Feedback

Continual feedback is also important for healthy work relations and is one of the key elements when it comes to productivity. Make sure that the feedback you give results in encouragement. How to achieve this, you may ask. Have a positive mindset. Critique whenever necessary, but, more importantly, do not hesitate to praise. Above all, be constructive. If you have the means, introduce some kind of a reward for the best workers. It does not have to be anything big, work accordingly to your budget, give presents, coupons, a free day, a paid weekend, anything your company can afford. Once more, this will emphasize the importance of each individual of your team. Having a competitive environment improves productivity, however, make sure it is a fair game. Do not forget to include all levels of your team’s hierarchy. Everyone needs feedback.

Working hours

As we said, getting the work done in time is a priority. However, long term thinking, this can be achieved in a productive, and less productive way. Do not forget that serious work is not a sprint but a marathon. Pace yourself and your workers. Respect their working hours, their lunch breaks and holidays. You will all benefit by doing so.

Now, that everything is in order with the team and its players, what more can be done to make their work easier, their actions faster and more productive? A new pitch will do wonders.

Redecoration

Changing the work environment proved to be a great tool for productivity increase. These changes do not have to be ground breaking, anything too drastic could be counter-productive. Small touches, a few simple moves, can be very effective and not at all expensive. First of all, enlighten the offices with as much natural light as you can. Remove the thick curtains; make sure window glasses are always clean and transparent. Air the rooms, bring in new plants and place them in such manner that they cover the entire workplace equally. Get rid of the old carpets and use contemporary rugs. The choice of patterns and materials is endless, they are easy to clean, do not collect dust and are very effective in bringing life to your office; you can practically make them your own signature item. You can always contact industrial builders and get more ideas on how to make your office a more productive environment.

Now you have everything under control. Take a deep breath, enjoy the moment, and do it all again. Continuously, rhythmically and organized.

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Paul Tomaszewski is a science & tech writer as well as a programmer and entrepreneur. He is the founder and editor-in-chief of CosmoBC. He has a degree in computer science from John Abbott College, a bachelor's degree in technology from the Memorial University of Newfoundland, and completed some business and economics classes at Concordia University in Montreal. While in college he was the vice-president of the Astronomy Club. In his spare time he is an amateur astronomer and enjoys reading or watching science-fiction. You can follow him on LinkedIn and Twitter.

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