Improving Productivity in the Office

You may find that at times your employees are not being as productive as they can be and productivity within the office is essential to the success of your business. If your employees are not productive at work, hiring them can waste both time and money. Here are a few things to consider when looking at productivity in your office.

Hiring

Productivity in your office can be impacted straight from hire, therefore, employing the right person should be in the forefront of your mind. Welcoming an employee to the team who does not suit your workplace culture can cause a cultural change which can impact productivity. These changes in productivity could be the result of changes in dynamic, distracting members of the team or creating conflict. Find the right balance of hiring for the role but also hiring with your vision and values in mind.

Training

It is essential to provide your team with regular training to keep them the most productive they can be. By providing training and development opportunities to your employees you can ensure they are doing their job effectively, developing skills and are equipped with tools to do their job more efficiently. By working on development, you should find that your employees feel valued and are therefore more engaged. When your employees are valued and feel as if you are invested in their future within the business they are more likely to be productive in the workplace.

Autonomy and Accountability

When working on productivity within the office, it is essential to consider how autonomous your employees are. By encouraging autonomy and accountability within the office you should find that your employees will work harder to get their tasks and projects completed and therefore are more productive overall.

Communication

Communicate your plans for the business with your employees as showing your workforce where the business is headed is a great way to keep them interested in the work they are doing. When your employees can see what they are working towards they will also be able to see how their work contributes to the success of the business. Communicate plans and visions as this will show your team that you are interested in them and care about their outlooks on things. By doing this you will keep them engaged and therefore productive.

Rewards and Incentives

By rewarding and recognising when your employees are doing well in the workplace you should find that this will motivate and encourage them to do a good job. Try setting goals for your team to aim for. You may find that this boosts your overall productivity. You know your employees, so set targets or goals and reward them for their hard work with something they will be excited by.

Tools

Ensure you have provided the right tools for your employees to do their job well.  When your employees are given the right tools to do their job they will automatically do their job quicker and more efficiently. For example, you wouldn’t expect a photographer to take photos with a broken lens so why allow your employees to work with a slow computer.

Environment

A good working environment is also key in productivity as a distracting environment will, alongside poor tools, reduce productivity. Environmental factors such as natural light, temperature, plants, colours and tidiness can be make or break to how your employees feel at work and therefore this is crucial to overall performance and productivity.

There are many factors to take into consideration when looking at how you as an employer can influence productivity levels. There are some factors outside of your control, however the above mentioned are things you can control so have a look at these and evaluate.