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Productive employees are obviously a net positive for the business. But they’re not always so easy to obtain. If you feel like you can’t get your employees to really put the effort in and get the work done, you have to consider where the problem actually lies. If it’s not the employees themselves, then there’s a wider issue in the business you need to address. Are you giving your employees all they really need to be productive?
The direction
Mentally, your employees need to know what they’re heading towards. Just doing work with no goal in sight is hardly motivating and working with no motivation is a slog that feels more like an endurance run than anything. When giving your employees goals, help them understand the job they do in relation to the wider goals of the company as well. By feeling part of something and understanding directly what they’re contributing in, they can develop the attitude that allows them to be productive. You can also measure their productivity as well so you can spot when decreases and increases appear in it. Key performance indicators as suggested by SCRIA can help you pinpoint what causes those changes.
The environment
The work environment itself can play a huge role in the productivity of the team, both physically and mentally. Physically, a poorly laid-out office obstructs the workflow, can cause distractions and reduces the effectiveness of communication. Mentally, an office that doesn’t feel like a positive work environment makes work more unenjoyable, which has been proven to make employees less effective at their work. Use the workplace to improve productivity by improving the lighting, air quality, and open space. At the same kind, consider that employees also need privacy if they’re handling calls or that they need a communal space if they’re working on a group project. Creating different work zones in the office can benefit progress on work of all kinds of varieties.
The tools
Of course, if your employees don’t have the equipment they need to get their work done properly, you’re not going to be seeing much productivity from them. For a lot of employees, this means carrying out a full maintenance schedule for digital devices like laptops and computers. If anyone is using a high-demand program like a 3D CAD tool, then the device they use must be of a high-fidelity to accommodate the strain put on those pieces of equipment. If a slow, inefficient copier is stopping employees from getting the materials they need to do their work, then you could discover your options at Scope Business Imaging and immediately reduce their time wasted. Even the choice of software matters. Could investing in an office spreadsheet suite help your employees more quickly produce the files they need?
They need to have the right mentality, they need the environment that supports it and they need the right tools to do the work. If you’re not providing that, then you are always going to be facing productivity issues. Hopefully, the tips above help you straighten them out and start seeing a real difference soon.
