The time employees spend at work never equates to productive time. Similarly, assigning more tasks does not increase employee productivity. Instead, it increases stress and becomes one of the main factors leading to poor job performance, dissatisfaction, and high turnover.
Since the mass resignations, many business executives have sought ways to increase productivity without stressing their employees.
Below are some of the best strategies for improving employee productivity.
A well-planned onboarding process
Many companies make the mistake of letting their Human Resources (HR) department handle the onboarding process. In this case, the HR department will do its best to familiarise the new employee with the work environment and company culture to handle employee productivity.
HR personnel does not hesitate to inform new hires about the amazing benefits the company offers.
Not only will this help boost their morale, but more is needed. If you want new hires to be productive, you need to articulate expectations during the onboarding process. Get them to understand the purpose behind the company, a detailed description of the customer, the company culture, and the main reasons for hiring.
Your direct manager should be actively involved in employee productivity and know what to expect from you over the next 12 months.
We need to understand how to measure success. Find exemplary employee mentors and talk to them. Assign, review, and provide relevant feedback on ready-to-complete tasks. We will also provide you with the tools and equipment you need to perform your duties.
Create and implement transparent employee performance metrics
Create an internal ranking system to track employee performance. Your metrics should directly reflect the type of employee productivity you expect.
Common employee performance indicators include:
Amount of work
Evaluate employees based on the number of tasks assigned. This is the number of sales made by the employee productivity. Write speed can be used to measure employee workload in data entry jobs.
Quality of work
Employees are categorized according to how well they complete their assigned tasks. Among other things, the number of errors and resourcefulness can be included in this ranking.
Cooperation
For a company to be successful, employee productivity must work together as a team. Good team players don’t hesitate to reach out and offer help or brainstorm with others. A survey or questionnaire can be used to gather the information required for this metric.
Ability to learn
It is not uncommon for organizations to organize employee training. You can assess the impact and benefits of training on your employees to assess their learning abilities.
Adherence to schedule
Completing tasks within the set time is critical to meeting the overall project deadline. Evaluate how well your employees are meeting their assigned task deadlines. It is not necessary to evaluate each metric in the same way. Ratings should depend on how important they are to the company’s goals.
Ensure the transparency of the evaluation system and make the results available to all employees.
Awards can be given to top performers to boost morale. Host an office party and award individual trophies.
Set realistic goals with deadlines
Employees need to understand your goals so you can achieve employee productivity. Assigning tasks without understanding the big picture limits your productivity.
Also, goals should be realistic and achievable within a reasonable timeframe. Trying to complete a project that takes at least six months a month is an unnecessary burden on staff. Unless you try to raise your personnel level.
To effectively communicate company goals to employees
- Keep it concise and clear. Engage all employees or team leaders in goal setting.
- Make sure everyone understands their goals and their role.
- Let them know how the goal will help them when it is achieved.
- Always remember your goals and deadlines in meetings.
- Constantly update progress. Listen to their contributions and challenges.
- Prioritise employee health and safety
- Employees must be healthy to be productive. Being forced to work despite illness is harmful.
A study by the UK Employment Institute found that corporate culture is the cause of employee productivity.
According to the Harvard Business Review, presenteeism is the problem of workers who show up for work but whose performance is hampered by an illness or medical condition. Based on U.S. data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), absenteeism costs employers about $150 billion annually, while presenteeism costs about $1.4 billion.
Prioritize their health and make sure the work environment is safe. Workplace safety makes employees happy and encourages them to stay with the company longer.
Various studies show that happy employees are about 12% more productive.
Accept feedback
Establish a system of regular performance reviews at least annually. This can be done by the direct supervisor, which communicates the employee’s strengths and weaknesses.
Make sure your feedback is objective and constructive. This way you will know how to improve your productivity.
We also welcome employee feedback. This allows you to adjust policies that can cost you your best employees.