Every company has targets, goals and a vision. Achievement of these is much determined by the kind of workforce in place. A motivated staff helps a company achieve significant milestones. Non-motivated employees are a burden to a company. They report to work only to while away their time as tasks are left undone or partially done. Keeping them motivated enough to work enhances their productivity and keeps your company afloat.
The following are nine ways to boost employee productivity:
1. Acknowledge and Appreciate Employee Performance
Acknowledging and appreciating employees has a direct impact on employee productivity. It makes them want to do their best and go beyond the call of duty to offer stellar performance. After putting a lot of effort and logging in long hours to complete a task, don’t forget to appreciate them.
It’s highly encouraging to work in a place where your efforts are noticed and rewarded. By recognizing and rewarding employees, they are motivated to work even harder, which leads to higher productivity.
2. Encourage Creativity
In some cases, new ways of doing things often lead to efficiency and effectiveness. Everyone is inherently creative. Create an environment that encourages creativity to entice employees to showcase their skills and ideas.
By giving employees room to put their best foot forward through innovative ideas, you provide a platform on which they can utilize their skills and talents, which enhances their employee productivity. Besides, employees appreciate a safe environment that encourages creativity; and this can only be good for the company’s bottom line.
3. Have Clearly-Defined Roles
Having clearly-outlined roles and responsibilities is a hallmark of effective workforce management. Assign clearly-defined roles and responsibilities to employees. Where roles overlap, employees don’t take full responsibility for their work since they tend to rely on co-workers. Group failure is not as heavy to bear as an individual failure. Assigning roles to every employee ensures they work towards achieving the intended outputs. This, in turn, boosts productivity.
4. Sharpen Employee Skills with Training
A skilled workforce makes work easy and boosts productivity due to increased efficiency. Besides, when employees know what to do, they find tasks more enjoyable. They find great joy in completing tasks. Enhanced productivity means better returns for the company and better remuneration for the staff.
Before training your employees, do a needs assessment to establish what the company requires and what skills employees need to be efficient and productive. If employees see a personal benefit from a proposed training programme, they will be to be trained and offer their best to your company.
The training should, however, be tailored to benefit both the company and the employees. Always remember that employees will not be keen to acquire new skills if they can’t see how doing so will help them individually. In a world where business systems and practices keep changing, today’s employee requires cutting-edge skills to maximize the employee productivity and improve your company’s performance.
5. Avail the Necessary Tools
A farmer cannot go to the farm without his hoe. Provide employees with the tools of the trade. This will eliminate complaints that they are not adequately tooled to produce maximum results. Tech-based equipment makes work easier, improves employee productivity, and makes supervision more efficient. Some tasks that were hitherto performed manually can be automated to be performed on cue. The improved efficiency has a direct bearing on enhanced productivity.
6. Incentivize Great Performance
Human beings are competitive in nature. Spicing up expectations in a company with a ‘best employee award’ increases productivity. The award should be backed by objective ways of identifying the best performing employee and rewarding them with a prize worth working hard towards. As the employees strive to give you their best performance, your company’s bottom line will improve as well. It pays to incentivize them for exceptional performance.
7. Lead by Example
A company’s productivity begins with the leaders leading by example. Model ethical values and the behaviour you want to see in your employees. A lazy supervisor attracts lazy employees.
As employees see your high standards and commitment to stellar performance, they will be motivated to meet and even supersede your example. As John Maxwell says in the law of the lid, the leader’s cap, their optimal ability to lead, determine their team’s performance and potential.
8. Encourage Teamwork
Working with teams often enhances employee productivity. Employees should learn to work both as individuals and in as a team. As a leader, determine when teamwork is required and use it to the advantage of the company.
9. Conduct Efficient Meetings
Starting a day with long meetings affects work momentum. Make the meetings brief, precise, and then get on with the day’s tasks. This not only provides clarity, but it also reduces fatigue among employees, making them more productive at work.
Improved productivity eventually results in customer satisfaction. Since employees are a critical part of the company, treat them well and make them feel like worthwhile human beings. By motivating them, you will enhance the overall employee productivity and improve your company’s profits.
