In order to increase employee productivity your main objective should be to ensure that your staff feel valued. It is far more cost effective to hold on to existing employees for as long as possible than to have to repeat the recruitment process – potentially being left without members of your team for long periods of time. Your staff need to feel respected and have the freedom and responsibility they need to succeed. It has become even more important to keep staff motivated to boost productivity in these times of tough economic conditions.
There are several ways you can boost your employee confidence and, in turn, productivity; many of which require very little capital. At the forefront of these methods is improved communication in your workplace. Effective communication throughout your workforce is essential in allowing for effective carry out of even the smallest tasks. Your leaders may need to be proactive and managerial, but they also need to be approachable.
To boost work output, ensure that the relationship between your employees is one that is not full of anxiety – you won’t get the best from your staff if they feel they are not able to honestly communicate with each other, whether sharing new ideas or discussing problems.
Make sure those at-the-top communicate with their office employees even in the most basic of ways each day; just a simple ‘good morning’ or ‘good bye’ can make sure that your staff don’t feel invisible to their seniors.
Recognition is another large part of increasing employee productivity. If your staff feel appreciated for the work they do for you, they are much more likely to continue with the same momentum. When efforts go unnoticed it can lead to an attitude of ‘why bother’. Praise on-the-spot will have a greater impact than praise that is delivered days or weeks later. Help your staff to celebrate their successes and feel that they are responsible for company successes as a whole too.
Whilst some of these simple tips are cost-free, investing company money into staff training is also hugely beneficial. When you are prepared to invest time and money into your employees this helps emphasise that they are valued and will help them to have a refreshed outlook on their work. Training acts as a form of personal training which will boost self-esteem, teamwork, communication and ultimately – productivity in your workplace.
Don’t forget to regularly reassess your working environments too. Just as the relationships between co-workers need to be relaxed and healthy, so does your office atmosphere. Are your staff coming to work in a space that is clutter-free and inspiring? Do you have comfortable office chairs and reliable equipment? Is your day-to-day business schedule working to provide an enjoyable yet productive work day? If not, now is the time to upgrade your meeting spaces and add informal discussion times to your schedule – give your employees a place to be creative and pro-active.
Finally, how about taking your staff out of the office now and again? This will provide a change of environment and outlook, allowing employees to look at things from a new perspective whilst feeling they have been treated - perhaps to a business lunch or conference event. Hold annual events or conferences in a different setting. Find a venue which will help to motivate and inspire your staff.
Author Bio: This article was brought to you by Conference Care who provide a range of event management and conference finding services.
