Is your work team overwhelmed with too much to do and too little time?
As they finish up, new tasks and responsibilities keep coming. Because of this, your team will never be able to finish all tasks on time. There will always be cases when your team is backing up on some responsibilities, tasks, and priorities.
Worry not. There are ways to make your team more productive and efficient.
We always have time enough, if we will but use it aright.
-JOHANN WOLFGANG VON GOETHE
Here are 12 top tips to increase employee productivity in the workplace.
1. Give Them Incentives
Everyone works better when they receive extra incentive. It may be a part of their role, but it feels good to get rewarded once in a while. Monetary incentives aren’t the only way to reward employees, and they aren’t even the most motivating. You can offer paid leave, extra vacation time, or luxury treat as an alternative.
2. Allow Your Employees To Work From Home
Some employees like graphic designers or web developers are more productive outside of the office. You can set up telecommuting, remote, or virtual work options for employees who love to work in these environments. In the long run, both you and your employees can benefit from it.
3. Give Flexible Hours To Work
Implement more flexible hours for your employees. Instead of following a strict 9-5 schedule, give them different hours, such as 8-4 or 10-6, which suits employees’ requirements. People get at their peak productivity during different times of the day. Letting people work during the hours when they’re most productive and taking rest during low productive times is the most beneficial way to get things done effectively.
Your team also get to try other activities outside the work or spend time with their family. Because of that, you’ll see a healthy boost of morale among your team. Also, allow your team to work in different environments. Doing work in new, inspiring locations can reduce tension and foster new ideas.
4. Set Clear Team Goals
Make sure your team knows your company vision and goals. Everyone feels inspired to work when they know they are up for something big.
This isn’t to be confused with assigning the team a set of tasks. This is about creating a place where you want your team to be and highlighting on areas which need dedicated focus.
A clear goal helps to coordinate team members’ effort and makes their work meaningful. After all, everyone needs to be on board with the end goals so they can collaborate to achieve them.
5. Eliminate Excess
When employees have small or tedious tasks to take care of, they don’t spend enough time on more valuable tasks. It feels unproductive for your employees to spend on numerous tasks but achieves little results.
Find what your team members are great at and delegate them the tasks around those skills.
6. Communicate Effectively
Communication is a critical factor that contributes to team productivity. It helps team members to understand their job responsibilities.
And, if there is any communication-gap, it can create confusion, which again affects the overall productivity of your team.
Studies state that emails are the second most time-consuming tasks after the main task. To save time, invest in platforms that allow your team to communicate and collaborate frequently.
7. Maintain A Good Working Environment
Design a workplace that inspires your team to work productively. You can do that by replacing chairs with ergonomically-sound chairs, improving lighting, or painting a dull office.
Make sure to incorporate bright lighting, comfortable furniture layout, and a natural vibe by adding plants and flowers. Exposure to natural light also makes your employees happier and more productive.
Besides the physical setting, the internal environment within the office premises also impacts the team productivity.
8. Prioritize The Task
When any project comes your way, begin by making a list of every step that you will have to do to finish the project.
Organize the task by priority, what is most important, and which tasks you must complete in order.
Work on one task at a time and be amazed at how much you get done in this way.
9. Follow 80/20 Rule
The 80/20 Rule is one of the essential concepts of time management and productivity. This principle states the following, 20 percent of your activities will account for 80 percent of your results. 20 percent of your customers will account for 80 percent of your sales. 20 percent of your products or services will account for 80 percent of your profits. 20 percent of your tasks will account for 80 percent of the value of what you do. It means out of ten items, two items will bring the best results.
10. Upgrade And Train Them
Why team members procrastinate is mainly due to inadequacy, a lack of confidence or inability in specific tasks. Likewise, a better-trained employee is going to be a more productive employee. With proper training, an employee will understand their job better and will make fewer mistakes. They’ll also feel more confident and valued in the workplace. Continually upgrade their skills by providing training and workshops. Ask employees if there are any areas in which training is currently lacking and address these weaknesses.
11. Apply The Law Of Three
Instead of focusing on all tasks at once, work on the top three tasks for a specified period. Identify three things that account for 90 percent of your contribution and work on completing it before doing anything else. Or you’ll end up with 10 tasks started but completed none.
12. Minimize Distractions
Distractions can disrupt anyone’s productivity. When you lose focus, it can take up to 23 minutes to restore it. Some distractions are easily controllable in your environment; such as lights, music, or other installations that distract people away from their jobs. Social media are also a time sucker. Turn off all notifications from your devices or disconnect from the internet when you’re working.
Interruptions are harder to get rid of. Encourage your team to respect each other’s time by not interrupting their work. You can schedule a time later to talk if it’s an important task.
Conclusion
No matter how many personal productivity techniques you master, there will always be more to do than your team can accomplish in the time available. The only way your team can get more productive is by changing the way they think and work with their responsibilities.
Author SumanJung is the co-founder of DesignPac, a company which simplifies the process of getting web services for your business or brands by renting out graphic designers, web developers & marketers at a low monthly fee. He is on a mission to solve the problems of business owners when it comes to the quality web services at an affordable price. Follow us on Facebook & Twitter.
