Employee productivity is one of the most important components of any business. It goes without saying that productivity is necessary in order to improve the company’s bottom line. After all, the more efficient your employees are, the more successful your business will be. While there is no denying the importance of productivity, there are several things managers are missing when it comes to leading a successful and productive team. Here are just a few of the most important things managers need to know in order to increase productivity on their team.
Avoid Unnecessary Meetings
Think about how many times you have sat through a meeting thinking about all of the other productive things you could have been doing with your time. Sometimes it seems as though managers hold meetings just for the sake of having a meeting. Before scheduling a meeting, think about whether or not your goals can be achieved through an email or phone call. If possible, take care of business in a more efficient way so your employees can spend their time working on more important tasks. If you schedule a meeting, make sure it is going to be of significant value to the team.
Delegate
Knowing when and how to delegate is vital to increasing productivity. Delegating is one of the most important skills to develop as a manager and it will help you to stay organized and get more done. Remember that you hired competent and skilled employees so trust them to handle large projects as this frees up your time for other things.
Minimize Distractions in the Workplace
One of the most common causes of decreased productivity is distractions in the workplace. Set clear guidelines about cell phone use and make sure employees are not engaging in social media during the workday. Pay attention to employee interactions and let employees know that social conversations should be kept to a minimum. You can combat these issues by setting aside breaks throughout the day where cell phone use and socializing is permitted, but be sure employees know that when they are back to work these behaviors need to stop.
Make Sure Your Employees Have the Right Tools
Your team’s skills are essential to their performance but just as important are the tools they use. Make sure your team is equipped with the right tools to enhance productivity. Choosing the right software will make their work easier and will translate into a more efficient and streamlined workflow. There are plenty of tools available to help improve collaboration and communication among team members. Some of these include collaboration tools like Google Drive or instant messaging apps such as Slack and Twist.
Track Employee Productivity
Many managers emphasize the importance of productivity to their employees but they don’t actually track their progress on a regular basis. In order for managers to monitor productivity, they need to have a way of assessing it. There are certain apps such as Hubstaff that can make it easier for managers to track their team’s hours and productivity. When managers are tracking productivity, it not only gives them valuable information about their employees’ performance but it also holds team members accountable and motivates them to be more efficient.
Productivity Starts with Employee Engagement
Disengaged employees drag a company down and are the number one cause behind lagging productivity. This can cost the company hundreds of thousands of dollars in lost productivity and can cause the business to suffer. Engaged employees are the key to increasing productivity because employees who are engaged will show up more often, work longer, and will be more efficient overall. Managers who foster a culture of engagement will increase productivity, thus improving the success of their team.
Reward Employees for Productivity
If you want to keep your team happy and productive for the long haul, then you must take time to acknowledge their efforts and reward their productivity. You might have a fantastic team of productive employees but they won’t stick around for long if they don’t feel valued. It can be as simple as publicly recognizing their efforts in the next team meeting or offering a monetary incentive, but having some sort of reward system in place will help to increase your employees’ productivity.