With work piling up by the hour, most employees have their hands full with managing work and their time. More often than not – the key to getting started with work doesn’t make its way to your employees’ desks. It has to be cultivated in employees!
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Here Are Four Unusual Tips To Increase Productivity In Workplaces
Let’s suppose you have tried everything you can to foster productivity in your workplace, but nothing seems to yield long-lasting results. Before giving up and trying to make the impossible happen, think outside the box. Not every employee shares the same value, dedication, or attention span. Instead of imposing productivity, try these unusual tips to increase productivity in workplaces.
1. Employee First – Focus on Online Onboarding
The first most important tip to boost productivity in the workplace is to work on the process of onboarding. From the perspective of an employee, being productive takes some sheer willpower after sitting on a desk all the time. Things become especially difficult when the employee doesn’t know where work starts or finishes, what are the do’s and don’t’s of the workplace and compensations, if any, will they be getting.
All these and other onboarding problems can be solved if employees are given all the information before they join and HR can train them even after they’ve joined. One of the most effective, hassle-free tools to onboard new employees without any loopholes is employee handbooks. Having an employee handbook can give employees a heads-up about policies, work ethics, promotion policies, missions, code of conduct, and more.
A handbook makes it easier for the employee to transition into the company, set realistic work expectations, and be able to manage their output more effectively. A simple guide to understanding the company, and employee’s role in it can help achieve productivity. Handbooks aren’t typically used as a tool to increase productivity, but it is about time the policies change.
2. Kill Motivation Killers
It is common knowledge that motivated employees are more productive, and thus, perform better. Therefore, safe to say – motivation and productivity are intertwined. To increase one, start by increasing the other. Finding the motivation to work is a prerequisite to being productive at work, which is why motivation is a very sought-after feeling.
Firstly, start by identifying motivation killers in the workplace, and then take measures to reduce them as much as possible. Some common culprits could be:
- Employee gossip and politics bring hardworking employees down.
- Overburdening employees with work and not giving them the required support.
- Lack of stimulation, or career development and growth opportunities.
- Less to none appreciation of their efforts.
- Insufficient or inadequate reward system.
- Micromanagement and zero team-building activities.
After you have identified the problem, make sure to have an action plan to get rid of it, and perform frequent follow-ups to ensure the measures worked.
3. Practice Employee Management, Not Micromanagement
It can be often frustrating not hearing back from the employee in time, or not getting parts of the project before the mentioned deadline. It is even more frustrating for the employees to be questioned about every single task, its progress, its timeline, and its proposed outcome. Looking at both sides of the equation, the best way to foster productivity is by finding a middle ground. It is stressful for employees to be questioned at each step, and here’s what can be done instead:
- Let your employees develop some passion for their work, and give them your trust when they have earned it.
- Provide clear, simple, and straightforward instructions over a list of instructions.
- Prioritize regular check-ins over constant monitoring and evaluation.
- Stop running after perfectionism, aim for good enough.
- Let employees add their personal touch to their work when appropriate.
- Manage to train employees not to control them.
4. Take A Break Every Once In A While
Management understands the importance of having fresh, dedicated, and capable employees. In fact, in most companies today, the output matters more than the hours put in. As an employee, if you are running low on energy – take a nap, replenish, restart. Don’t waste your time trying to achieve multiple tasks in one go, rather focus on the quality of output. Work on getting the job done, not just to get the hours in.
Let your employees feel human, let them express themselves, and have the freedom to feel tired. Giving your employees some leniency helps them feel like a valuable part of the company. If they are unable to work at the spot, and there is no restriction for the deadline, let them take some time off. Treating your employees like they matter helps them become more loyal towards their work and more productive.
Takeaway
Getting a productive workplace environment requires creating an atmosphere that encourages productivity. Understanding the company via an employee handbook, ensuring your output is up to par, and establishing good communication with your employer is only part of the process. From a managerial level, letting employees experience some level of autonomy and leniency can create a favorable environment.
