Improving employee productivity is a constant goal across the entire company. Highly productive workers can help a company achieve higher levels of profit while less productive employees can drag the company down. Productivity levels can affect whether a company sinks or swims in the market. Knowing how to increase productivity of employees can help a company get ahead of the competition. Even the most successful companies can benefit from increasing productivity.
Ways to Increase Productivity in the Workplace
Low workforce productivity can be caused by a variety of factors, from simple distractions in the workplace to a lack of engagement, poor management, high turnover, and more. Whatever the reason for low productivity, it’s important to not only address the underlying cause but to also provide incentives for higher productivity.
So how can companies increase productivity in the workplace?
Delegate Tasks
Some employees aren’t as productive because they’re not challenged. Although delegating tasks can be a risk, there are several benefits. Not only does the manager have less on his or her plate, but there are benefits for the employees as well. Employees will gain valuable skills that can help them improve their careers and move up the ladder at your company. Trusting employees with important tasks can help improve employee morale and job satisfaction, which leads to increased productivity.
Reduce Employee Distractions
There are a lot of potential distractions in the modern workplace. From social media to texting to chatting with coworkers, there are a lot of things that can keep employees from focusing on their tasks. IT can block access to social media sites within the company’s network, but they can’t block employees from using data to access social media. It actually may be better to allow employees access, provided they’re not taking advantage of the flexibility. Allowing employees to take the mental breaks they need throughout the day, even if that is to check social media, can help them return to work refreshed and more productive.
Communicate Realistic Goals
It’s important to ensure that all goals set for your staff are realistic. Managers should set clear expectations for employees that are easy to understand. They should also provide the support employees need to be motivated to meet those goals. However, goals should be within what the employee is able to achieve. If expectations are too high for an employee, that can decrease morale and increase stress, resulting in lower productivity.
Provide the Necessary Tools
Managers should make sure that their staff members have access to all of the tools they need to do their jobs completely. If employees are struggling with old computers, slow Internet speed, and no access to programs they need, their productivity will suffer. Even if computers still work, it may be time for an upgrade that can improve the speed at which employees can do their jobs. The same goes for common equipment. Waiting for paperwork to print on an old printer can slow down an entire department. Your employees may already know how to be productive at work and are just waiting on the right tools for the job.
Increase Employee Skills with Training
The more skilled your employees are, the more productive they can be. Many companies fear that offering training to employees will be a waste of time and money if the employee leaves the company. However, the training not only improves the employee’s skills for your company, but it also encourages them to stay. Developing employees prepares them for promotions and makes them better able to do their current jobs. On top of increasing their productivity, training and development also makes employees feel valued and therefore more engaged.
Improve Conditions in the Workplace
Workplace conditions are important. Not only can they affect employee health and comfort, but they can also affect productivity. If the office is too cold or hot, or an employee has an uncomfortable chair, their productivity may be affected by the distractions these cause. Employees may also waste time adjusting a fan, getting a sweater, or changing positions for more comfort.
Give Positive Reinforcement
A lack of negative feedback doesn’t necessarily mean employees will assume they’re doing well. Positive reinforcement can go a long way toward improving productivity. Employees will know that they’re doing a good job and that they’re meeting expectations. Positive feedback can improve morale and motivate employees to work more productively. Additional incentives such as bonuses or holiday parties can also help.
Keep Employees Happy
Stressed-out employees aren’t very productive. The more stress employees experience, the less motivated and more disengaged they are. Even if some stress is caused by the employee’s home life and not by work, the company can still take steps to try to ease that stress. If a different schedule would make a work-life balance easier, for example, that can help reduce stress.
Avoid Micromanaging
No one likes having someone look over their shoulder. A micromanager doesn’t actually help employees perform any better. In fact, it just stresses them out and slows them down. If managers can step back and trust their employees to do their jobs, then they will. Employees can feel a better sense of ownership over their projects. They’ll also take ownership of their own work ethic and prove that they’re capable.
Allow Remote Work
Some managers may think that remote work is a recipe for distractions and low productivity. However, it’s actually the opposite. In most cases, employees working remotely put in more hours and are more productive than their counterparts in the office. By having a remote work policy, not only does the company get more productive staff, but it can also save significantly on overhead costs.
How Can an HRIS Help with Employee Productivity?
Another way to improve employee productivity is by investing in a top HRIS software. HR software offers a lot of benefits, among them features that can help employees as well as HR staff. An HRIS can provide the tools needed to measure productivity so that you can see the positive effects of any changes you make.
Measure Employee Satisfaction
The digital tools of an HRIS can help you discover lower levels of productivity and the root causes of it. Your HR software can help you survey your employees to determine their satisfaction with their jobs, their compensation, the company, and more. It can also help to uncover patterns that may indicate problems within your company that are causing employees to be less productive.
Streamline Workflow
HRIS software can improve the productivity of employees by streamlining workflow and taking on many automated tasks. This can free up your employees to focus on more important tasks and devote more attention to doing them well. Overwork can be a contributing factor if employees are exhibiting low productivity.
High turnover and layoffs can be a major cause of low productivity amongst your employees. Some companies try to save money by laying off employees and redistributing their tasks to the remaining staff. But employees who are managing the workloads of multiple jobs beyond just their own may be stressed and unable to properly focus on their own primary tasks. Even if a position will later be filled, a new employee may take some time to become as productive as more experienced members of staff.
Even if your company has none of the above problems with turnover and overwork, using an HRIS to maximize employee efficiency can still boost productivity. By removing easily automated tasks from your employees’ workload, you can allow them to focus on the bigger picture tasks and put more energy into the tasks that really require their expertise.
Employee Self-Management
Using an HRIS also offers employees the opportunity to manage themselves. If they have the tools to track their own time, for example, managers can spend less time overseeing their employees, freeing them up for more management tasks, while employees can take ownership of their own workload and tasks.
This can also help your company avoid micromanaging managers, which can drive down employee productivity, increase turnover, and wasted management time.
Improved Employee Skills
HRIS software can also be used to track employee skills and training. Employees who are nurtured by your company and provided with opportunities to improve their skill sets can apply those new abilities and knowledge to working more productively and efficiently. Offering employees the opportunities to improve themselves and advance within your company can improve their morale and loyalty, also, therefore, improving productivity.
An HRIS has numerous capabilities that can help your company and assist your employees in improving their productivity. If you’re looking for software to improve workforce productivity, visit our vendor match page to get started. Let us help you find the software that will best fit your company’s needs.
Is your company in need of an HRIS to help increase employee productivity? Start your search with us today! Visit our HR Software Match page to let us match you with the vendor that will best fit your needs.
