Proven Strategies To Enhance Employee Productivity

“Productivity” is the buzzword that keeps business owners occupied all the time. You might be aware of the fact that improving productivity is like improving the source of revenue. It’s highly lucrative but not easy to achieve. Workplace productivity depends largely on a collective effort and coordination. A workplace where each employee takes accountability of its own work is a truly productive place.

So now you might just think how to go on improving productivity in the workplace?

The world of business has improved significantly. Workplace and employee productivity are crucial to keeping an organization alive and thriving.

When everything is going well, you don’t think much about it. But when things get complicated, or there’s a major obstruction, operations quickly get affected.

If you need to find out the exact reasons for project failure and adopt the best strategies to make employees more productive, then you have come to the right place.

The key Component in Workplace Productivity:

It all starts with employee engagement.

According to a recent survey, it has been found that the most common obstacle preventing workplace productivity is the lack of employee engagement.

(Source – snacknation.com)

Disengaged employees can drag a company down, while engaged employees tend to stay longer, become happier and be more productive. From research, it has been found, “Actively disengaged employees cost the U.S. $483 to $605 billion each year in lost productivity”.

(Source – bloghubstaffcom.lightningbasecdn.com) [State of Productivity and Management Report 2018]

So let me share some key strategies to make your workplace more productive than before.

1. Use of Right Tool:

Your team’s skills are vital to business performance, but the tools they use in their work play a big role. Using the right software can make their work easier and keep their workflow on track.

Tools like Orangescrum help project managers to perform their job flawlessly. It is an all-in-one project management software that organizes projects, tasks, sprints, manages resources and tracks time effortlessly.

Time Tracking Tool:

There are only a limited number of hours in a workday and an infinite number of tasks your team has to complete. This is where time tracking tools like Orangescrum come into place.

Orangescrum makes it easier to track your team’s productivity and working hour(s). So your business can improve workplace efficiency. You can assign specific tasks and projects to each team member. It makes easier for your team members to know what exactly needs to get done.

Collaboration Tool:

Collaboration tools enhance teamwork. Being able to work together in real-time is beneficial to a team. Orangescrum does exactly the same. Its In-All chat helps your teams to perform better and communicate across teams and clients easily.

Just type a message and send it to one user or a group and you can get a notification when you receive a reply.

[Orangescrum In-App chat with one user]

[Orangescrum In-App chat with a group]

Task Management Tool:

Struggling to check your team member’s work progress? It’s quite hard to identify who is doing what and how. But with Orangescrum’s task management feature, you don’t need to juggle more. It allows you to check all your team members work status under one roof.

Other features are also there which help project managers to complete their projects beforehand.

2. Improve Employee Skills with Proper Training:

Once you hire an employee on the job, training is an important part of ensuring productivity. A 2013 study ensured that training greatly benefits both employers and employees.

Follow the 20-30-50 rule:

What is exactly 20-30-50? This is the way to handle your own time while you are training other team members.

(Source – bloghubstaffcom.lightningbasecdn.com) [20-30-50 Rule]

3. Avoid Micromanaging:

Slaughter says, “The best way to encourage productivity is to encourage individuals to take ownership over how they manage their own time and resources”.

That implies, manage less and get better results. Sometimes employees get frustrated by micromanagement.

To manage employees effectively, managers have to trust their employees’ day-to-day operations, rather than feeling stuck with them.

4. Focus on the future with clear communication:

Communication is the key to success. Without effective communication, businesses fail. Managers who effectively communicate responsibilities and expectations to their employees can be rewarded with a productive workplace.

From a study, it has been found that 80% of a work-related conversation is spent on the problems of the past. That includes assigning blame, 15% on what is happening now, and a tiny 5% on the future plan.

(Source – bloghubstaffcom.lightningbasecdn.com)

Focusing on the future plan, rather rehashing past issues can help you to find out a positive solution. Ultimately, your business productivity can be improved.

Top 15 Strategies to Enhance Employee Productivity

Improving employee productivity is crucial for the success of any organization. Here are 15 strategies to help boost productivity among your employees:

1. Clear Communication: Ensure that goals, expectations, and instructions are communicated clearly to all employees. Miscommunication can lead to wasted time and effort.
2. Set SMART Goals: Encourage employees to set Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound (SMART) goals to give them a clear sense of purpose and direction.
3. Provide Training and Development: Invest in continuous training and development programs to enhance employees’ skills and knowledge, making them more efficient in their roles.
4. Flexible Work Arrangements: Offer flexible work options, such as remote work or flexible hours, to help employees balance their personal and professional lives, which can increase motivation and productivity.
5. Empowerment: Give employees autonomy and decision-making authority within their roles. Empowered employees are often more motivated and engaged.
6. Recognition and Rewards: Recognize and reward employees for their achievements and hard work. This can include both monetary incentives and non-monetary recognition.
7. Feedback and Performance Reviews: Provide regular feedback and conduct performance reviews to help employees understand their strengths and areas for improvement.
8. Work-Life Balance: Encourage a healthy work-life balance by setting realistic expectations for working hours and encouraging employees to take breaks.
9. Task Prioritization: Teach employees to prioritize tasks based on importance and urgency to ensure they focus on high-impact activities.
10. Use of Technology: Invest in productivity tools and software that can streamline processes and help employees work more efficiently.
11. Team Building: Foster a positive team culture and encourage collaboration among employees. A cohesive team can often accomplish more than individuals working in isolation.
12. Health and Wellness Programs: Promote employee well-being by offering wellness programs, including fitness classes, stress management workshops, and access to mental health resources.
13. Clear Policies and Procedures: Ensure that employees have access to clear policies and procedures to minimize confusion and improve workflow efficiency.
14. Reduce Distractions: Minimize workplace distractions, such as excessive meetings or noisy environments, that can disrupt employees’ concentration.
15. Continuous Improvement: Encourage a culture of continuous improvement where employees are always looking for ways to optimize processes and increase efficiency.

Over to you:

After reading the above-described points, you might be thinking, “Does increasing productivity have any positive impact on business growth?” Of course YES.

(Source-bloghubstaffcom.lightningbasecdn.com)

Studies say;

• Growth for most organizations is seen as an increase in the number of customers and revenue. It is also associated with gains in brand awareness and authority in an industry.
• 8% of organizations surveyed will increase the use of production processes and tools over the next year

So how are you measuring productivity at your firm?

Do you think you’re measuring it the right way?

Analyze yourself and share your ideas and thought in the same. Take a tour with Orangescrum as it is offering 15-days free trial. Sign up now and experience the latest features to improve business productivity without taking much time.