Productivity is a cornerstone of success for any organisation, directly influencing revenue generation and overall growth. Regardless of industry or service, the ability to consistently complete tasks efficiently drive a company's competitive edge. However, maintaining a high level of productivity can often be a challenge, especially in today’s fast-paced and ever-changing business landscape. As a result, it’s important for companies to continually strive for ways to increase productivity and efficiency.
Here’s how to increase workplace productivity:
1. Set clear objectives
Establishing clear objectives using SMART framework – Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Timely – is key to a productive work environment. When goals are well-defined, employees can track their progress and recognise achievements, which fosters a sense of accomplishment and boost morale. They can understand their roles and responsibilities better and align their efforts with the organisation’s mission and vision.
Furthermore, the clarity in objectives facilitate better communication and collaboration among team members, as everyone understands the collective aim and individual contribution. They can better prioritise their work and efficiently use time and energy. This alignment not only enhances personal and team performance but also drives the organisation towards its strategic goals.
2. Design roles to harness individual strengths
Every employee possesses unique skills that, when recognised and aligned with their roles, can significantly boosts engagement, motivation, and productivity. When employees see their skills being effectively utilised, they become more inclined to embrace new challenges, propelling the organisation toward success.
Therefore, organisations should actively seek opportunities to tailor roles to fit an individual’s strength and aspirations, thereby boosting engagement, retention, and overall business outcomes.
3. Train your managers
A survey by Chartered Management Institute, which included over 4,500 workers and managers, found that 82% of individuals in managerial positions have not received adequate training. These individuals, often termed ‘accidental managers’, contribute to approximately one in three employees leaving their jobs.
On the contrary, well-trained managers not only address poor performance and behaviour more efficiently but also create an environment where employees can flourish, thereby creating a culture of productivity. Therefore, organisations should focus on delivering management training and coaching to managers to develop skills and confidence necessary for effective leadership.
4. Invest in your employees
Investing in your workforce through skill development opportunities, continuous feedback, experimental on-the-job assignments, mentorship, coaching, and training programmes is crucial. When employees have the tools and opportunities to refine their skills, they become more engaged and motivated.
In addition, it is also important to evaluate opportunities for growth through learning from failures and continually improving processes and outcomes. This involves fostering the right psycho-social safety and retrospectives processes to allow for transparent and non-punitive discussions on root cause and improvement opportunities. This proactive approach ultimately increases employee productivity at work and success within the organisation.
5. Encourage team collaboration
A recent survey indicates that 70% of employees believe improved team collaboration can increase workplace productivity and save time. Team collaboration is crucial in fostering a transparent, efficient, and healthier workplace.
Through collaboration, team members can exchange ideas, perspectives, and skills. They can work collectively, allocate tasks fairly, alleviate workloads, and reduce burnout. Ultimately, by collaborating and working toward shared goals, team members can strengthen their connections and engagement, leading to increased workplace productivity.
6. Minimise micromanagement
Micromanagement is a common issue in many workplaces, where managers excessively oversee and control every detail of their employees' duties. While effective supervision is necessary for successful completion of task, micromanagement can hinder productivity. It can lead to employee demotivation, eroded trust, and heightened stress.
That’s why, to increase workplace productivity, it's important for managers to delegate tasks and provide autonomy to their team members. This allows team members to take ownership of their work and feel confident in making decisions on their own.
7. Offer wellness program
According to our 2023 Performance Management Report, the majority (91%) of HR directors considered burnout a pressing matter. Employee burnout—due to work pressure, reduction in salary and benefits, and job insecurity—is a significant contributor to low productivity and high turnover rates. This not only impacts individual well-being but also leads to a decrease in overall organisational performance.
A culture of productivity permeates every level of an organisation. Therefore, the goal of every company should be to achieve their best potential. Implementing measures, such as mental health awareness programs and counselling services can support employees in achieving a healthy work-life balance and give them the best opportunity to thrive, thereby can increase employee productivity at work and develop a healthy environment in a company.
8. Transparency is key
Transparency plays a crucial role in increasing workplace productivity. When employees are kept in the loop, they feel valued and trusted by their employers. This cultivates a sense of accountability and responsibility among them, which can have a positive impact on productivity levels.
To promote transparency, you can consider implementing regular communication channels such as team meetings or newsletters to keep employees informed about company’s updates and progress. Additionally, open-door policies for managers and CHROs can help foster transparent communication within the workplace, developing a productive organisational work culture.
9. Implement skill development programs
Improving productivity is not only about equipping workforce with digital training; there are other necessary skills required to enhance productivity within your company. Initiate a skill development program that encompasses courses on core workplace skills such as time management, communication, collaboration, and problem-solving. This will not only benefit individual employees but also improve overall business productivity.
10 . Invest in cutting-edge technologies
Investing in the right software designed to streamline workflows, manage workloads effectively, improve communication, and enhance collaboration among team members is a prudent decision when it comes to increase employee productivity at work. It frees up employees’ time to focus on high-value tasks, enables them to foster a supportive and efficient work environment that elevates both individual and organisational performance.
Benefits of increased workplace productivity
Higher revenue
Quite simply, when more work is done, more income can be generated. If you’re a selling business, and you start producing a higher number of goods, then you’ll have the ability to accept higher demand. The same applies if your business trades in services. No matter what the output is, if there’s more of it, then there’s a greater ability to be profitable.
Increased efficiency
When productivity is increased via smart methods, efficiency inevitably improves too. Not only is the output greater, but the amount of time, money, and energy needed to reach this result goes down too. Enhanced/ automated workflows allow companies to achieve a much better level of cost-effectiveness with regards to the resources they use.
Ability to grow
When efficiency is high, businesses are more able to grow. Money is saved through optimal processes, staff have greater capacity, and more income is generated through sales. When you have the luxury of accepting higher demand, you can expand your operations. The increased revenue can be invested in things like technology, equipment, recruitment, and additional offices, storefronts, warehouses, factories, etc.
Improved reputation
If a company is known to be efficient and highly productive, this will have a positive impact on its reputational standing within the industry. When a large amount of output is continuously produced, and to a high standard, customers will inevitably view the business more fondly. And this positive brand image will likely spread via word of mouth or online reviews, providing opportunities to gain even further clients.
Greater employee engagement
Within a productive workplace, employees tend to be more engaged, as there’s more variation to day-to-day tasks, and they’re able to have a bigger impact on proceedings. A successful environment is often a positive environment, which makes communication healthier, and creates a workforce that are more likely to get involved with a range of projects.
Better customer satisfaction
When a team are able to reach their desired outcomes, this should mean they’ve been able to meet/exceed the expectations of customers too (and fulfil any promises that were initially made). And when employees have greater capacity due to automation, they have more time to focus on the unique needs of each customer. They can provide a more personal service and deal with queries in great detail, thus giving a much better quality of customer service.
Attract top talent
Productivity plays a pivotal role in attracting top talent to an organisation. Skilled professionals seek work environment that emphasises and nurture productivity. When a company is recognised for cultivating a productive culture, it becomes a magnet for ambitious individuals eager to contribute their expertise and advance their careers.
Societal advantages
Productivity is not just about organisation’s internal benefits; it’s also about bettering society and gaining societal advantages. When a company enhances its productivity, the benefits extend not only to its employees but also to its customers, community, and society at large. A few examples societal advantages include high standards of living, economic growth, and innovation and progress.
What can hinder employee productivity?
Mismanagement
Mismanagement can stifle workers, as it removes their freedom when solving problems. It can drain their confidence too as they might think the management team have no confidence in their ability to work independently. The other extreme is to have no direction whatsoever. This can lead to low productivity as there will be no structure or accountability. Managers should look to hone their emotional intelligence and find the right balance with each individual employee.
Lack of rewards and recognition
When employees don’t receive rewards and recognition for their exceptional work, they tend to feel demotivated and disengaged. Despite putting enough efforts, they may feel undervalued at work, which often impacts their productivity. On the contrary, employee perform better when recognised for their outstanding work. Therefore, it’s important for companies to actively acknowledge and reward employees’ achievement, whether in the form of financial bonuses or by simply appreciating their hard work in a team meeting.
No clear objectives
If there’s no clear objectives within a team, there’s a chance work will never get started. Goals help to provide guidance and motivation, and they also ensure everyone is pulling in the same direction (with the best interests of the company at heart). If there’s less ambiguity around expectations, and more of a framework around regular responsibilities, employees will be more likely to produce their best work.
Multitasking
Many managers still believe that multitasking is an efficient way to accomplish more in less time. In fact, companies seek talents who can juggle multiple responsibilities with ease. However, in reality, multitasking can actually lead to reduced productivity. When employees switch back and forth between tasks, they lose focus, become distracted by less valuable tasks, and ultimately deteriorate the quality of their work. Hence, it’s important for managers to encourage single-tasking strategy and prioritise tasks to prevent employee burnout and elevate productivity at work.
Poor work environment
In terms of a physical workspace, the most miniscule details can have an impact on productivity. Regardless of whether it’s an office, a warehouse, or a factory floor, these employee’s workspace, whether it’s an office, a warehouse, or a factory floor, these specifics matter. For example, it’s better to have natural light where possible, as artificial light can be overbearing and disrupt focus. The temperature shouldn’t be too hot or cold either, as an uncomfortable environment will be an unwanted distraction. Ideally, there should be plenty of space in the workplace, with specialised areas for things like creative thought, presenting, writing, and collaborating.
Lack of right tools
If an employee doesn’t have the right tools to complete their duties, they will simply be unable to produce adequate work and will likely become demotivated due to the struggles. For example, they might need access to a particular digital tool or program to fulfil their obligations effectively. The correct structures, processes, and hierarchies should be in place also. It should be seamless when a new starter joins the company. They should know exactly where they fit in with other workers and should be given access to the relevant platforms that enable them to accomplish certain tasks.
Not enough communication
No matter how well-defined roles are, it’s very unlikely that any individual can complete their work without some form of collaboration/crossover. This is why effective communication is another key element of productivity. If there’s no quick and effective way for staff to contact one another, this can cause unwanted bottlenecks. Due to the rise of remote working, many businesses have utilised some form of instant messaging system. This can be as effective as face-to-face communication when done properly. And it means there’s no need to wait for colleagues to sift through their emails.
How can OneAdvanced help you increase workplace productivity?
Increasing workplace productivity is not merely about increasing work efficiency, but also about fostering an environment where employees can thrive, collaborate, and achieve their highest potential. At OneAdvanced, we are committed to this vision and work diligently to help our customers achieve it as well. Our suite of interconnected digital transformation tools empowers our customers and their workforce to automate their daily and repetitive tasks, freeing up their time to focus on more creative and strategic activities.
Want to discover how? Download ‘Power Your Productivity’ eBook and learn how OneAdvanced can help you automate your business processes with its software solutions along with expert tips.
Frequently asked questions (FAQs)
What is workplace productivity?
Workplace productivity is the measure of how efficient and effective a company's workforce is in achieving their goals and completing tasks within a given timeframe. It takes into account factors such as output, efficiency, time management, communication, collaboration, and resource utilisation to determine levels of productivity within an organisation.
Does workplace design improve workplace productivity?
Yes, workplace design can have significant impact on workplace productivity. A well-designed workspace that encompasses factors such as natural light, temperature, and designated areas for different tasks can help employees feel more comfortable and focused, leading to an increase in employee productivity. Additionally, a well-organised and efficient layout can also improve communication and collaboration among team members.
Does workplace culture influence employee productivity?
Absolutely, workplace culture has a huge impact on employee productivity. A positive and supportive work culture that values transparency, communication, collaboration, and skill development can motivate employees to perform at their best and contribute to a healthy and productive work environment. On the other hand, a negative or toxic work culture can hinder productivity by demotivating and disengaging employees.
Does performance management affect employee productivity?
Performance management can have a significant impact on employee productivity. A well-structured and fair performance management process that focuses on setting clear goals, providing regular feedback, and offering development opportunities can motivate employees to strive for excellence in their work. So, if you want to foster a productive culture within your organisation, it is important to focus on implementing an effective performance management strategy.