To a business, their employees are the most important things. Integral cogs in their machine, without them on board and motivated, company operations often run with faults, lack of structure and, ultimately, lead to the downfall of a business. That’s why knowing how to boost productivity in the workplace is vital to business success. From reducing distractions to letting teams work remotely, discover the best strategies to increase productivity in the workplace from our helpful guide.
Strategies to increase productivity in the workplace
Wondering how to increase productivity in the workplace? Discover our top 10 tips to help motivate staff and enhance a more productive working environment for your team:
1. Delegate
Increased responsibility usually leads to an increase in motivation and productivity, too. Although this can come with its risks, ensure to delegate strategically, by delegating high priority tasks out to more qualified staff, and lower priority to junior staff members. Having some level of responsibility allows employees to feel valued – and ultimately, will encourage productivity.
2. Improve working environment conditions
Ensuring that the working conditions are optimal for working is important for enhancing productivity. This could include:
Light – whether it’s that the lights are too bright or there is not enough light (including natural light), ensuring the working environment is lit to safe working standards that are suitable for everyone in the room is important.
Temperature – according to UK government, minimum working temperature should be 16 degrees Celsius. On the flip side, working in an office environment that is too warm can also minimise productivity – so be mindful on chilly days of cranking up the heating too high!
Cleanliness – working in a messy environment may work for some people (those who prefer to label their desks by the term ‘organised chaos’), but it can lead to a lack of productivity. Generally, being in a clean, tidy office environment is the ideal working condition for employees.
Noise – keep music to a low volume or minimise loud group discussions in the office. Although it’s great to allow the team to gel together and bond, it’s beneficial to know when to rein it in – and when the conversation is distracting other non-participating members of the team.
3. Reduce distractions
Tying in with the above point, ensure constant loud noises are eliminated. Some staff members may like to listen to the radio whereas others may prefer working in silence – in which case, employers could give their staff to wear headphones to listen to music while working.
Using mobile phones during working hours can also create a large distraction – however, ‘banning’ mobile phones entirely would create more of a dictatorship style of management which usually isn’t appreciated. Encouraging employees to keep phones in their bags or drawers until they’re on a break would be a good way to keep them from being distracted.
4. Don’t lock down social media
On the flip side, it’s important to acknowledge industry-specific uses for mobile phones. For example, recruiters may be using their mobile phones to message prospective clients who are unable to speak openly on the phone; or those who are working in a niche industry may be using their phone to keep up to date with latest trends, software or tools that would help them complete their jobs. Essentially, they could need their phones for work – so although at times it may tempt people to ‘slack off’, it would be wise not to ban phones entirely!
5. Employee wellbeing
Work-life balance, self-care and employee wellbeing are all integral phrases in creating an environment worthy of staff productivity. A happy team is a hard-working team – and ensuring the employee’s wellbeing is intact is imperative.
Whether that’s benefits such as free dental care; incentives such as team socials for winning a client; or encouraging them to take self-care time out for themselves for physical or mental health, all these factors lead not only to improving productivity, but to a successful and recommended business to work for.
6. Attitude
Having the right attitude towards employees that you manage is crucial when encouraging workplace productivity. A positive and motivating attitude should be adopted as opposed to a condescending or negative one – ensure you give praise when they complete tasks well, or provide constructive feedback when things haven’t gone their way.
Having this fair attitude will allow the employee to feel appreciated, safe and motivate them to increase their productivity in order to receive more praise and recognition for their work.
7. Set realistic goals
As an employer or manager, it’s important to know if employees are performing by monitoring them. With goals or objectives laid out with realistic deadlines, employees will feel valued and motivated to complete these – especially if the incentive is more responsibility, a promotion or even a pay rise.
8. Task managers
Organisation is a crucial element to increasing employee productivity in the workplace. There are different types of organisation that can improve productivity:
Time tracking tools – tools such as Toggl or Synerigst are great time tracking tools which allow employers to measure productivity of their staff. When knowing they’re being timed, employees are also less likely to slack off – while client hours or projects can be timed accurately, so it’s possible to see where the most time is spent.
Task management tools – tools such as Trello are ways for whole companies to communicate by simple organisation. When employees feel organised and on the ball, they’re likely to perform better while having a happier outlook on their work life.
9. Training courses
Improve employees’ skills by offering training courses for them to attend to improve their knowledge and expertise. Whether it’s simple in-house training or sending them on days or courses to enhance their abilities, recognition of their development and progression will likely be reciprocated to the employer with productivity and motivation in the workplace.
10. Let your term work remotely
And what about when your employees work remotely or from a virtual office? Research shows that this may actually be an extremely beneficial strategy to promote productivity in the workplace. HubStaff found: “Remote workers are more productive, they log more hours, take less sick leave, perform better, and in general are more engaged at work. And all this leads to significant cost savings for businesses”. What better way to increase employee productivity in the workplace than removing the ‘workplace’ itself?
With the option of virtual offices, coworking spaces and hot-desking available in a bustling city centre location, you may have no need for the rented office space that’s draining your outgoings each month. By simply allowing your team to work remotely, and having your registered business address at our office in St Paul’s Square in the Jewellery Quarter of Birmingham, you can considerably cut down on costs – while improving employee productivity, too.
If you’re unsure how to manage a remote team or want to know more about how virtual offices can save you money, our team are always happy to help. Get in touch with us today at Grosvenor House for all your office-related queries.