There is a natural tendency to blame employees when productivity drops. Superiors believe that employees are not working hard enough or are simply not motivated. They usually try to solve the problem with a carrot and stick approach, offering more incentives and results.
They may not realize that the performance problems are related to their behavior as a manager.
If employees don't have confidence in leadership and the company's ability to achieve its goals, performance levels will drop. Our research on strategy implementation has shown that more than half of employees believe a gap exists between the company's strategy and its ability to implement it effectively. Furthermore, 64% do not think so this gap can be closed.
A productive workforce not only directly impacts the bottom line but also brings unquantifiable but equally important benefits. When employees reach their full potential, you'll see increased satisfaction, excellent employee retention, and reduced conflict.
Increasing productivity starts with restoring employee confidence in the company's ability to achieve its goals. Here are five steps you can take this year to improve employee productivity.
1. Extend the Strategic Plan to the Entire Organization
Employees can do their daily tasks better with a clear action plan. A well-designed program should.
- Recognize potential issues before they arise.
- Avoid delays and bottlenecks.
- Eliminate wasted effort.
- Help employees organize their participation in the process.
All departments in the organization should be involved in developing the plan and be aware of their role in its effective implementation.
2. Encourage Open Communication
Employees are most productive when they feel valued and respected within the organization.
This means that leaders should welcome all feedback, whether positive or negative. Encourage your employees to talk about their successes and failures without fear of criticism or discipline.
The CEO of Red Hat, a leading open source software company, introduced the "memo list," an email list asking every employee to provide feedback and criticism. As with open-source software development, good ideas go to the top.
Supervisors should adopt a system that rewards exemplary work and provides constructive criticism for work that needs improvement. In an environment that fosters open communication, potential problems can be brought to management's attention earlier and resolved before they become more significant. This way, teams can focus on getting their tasks done and eliminate inefficiencies and issues that often get in the way.
It also improves coordination and reduces conflict.
3. Monitor Progress Regularly
Performance management should not be done at the end of the year. Instead, it should be done regularly, so everyone knows what to do and how to do it.
The key is to monitor them without overdoing them. Make progress management a constructive and empowering activity by asking employees to participate in developing the performance evaluation system. Welcome their feedback and schedule regular meetings to follow up on specific proposals and actions.
4. Facilitate Communication with Employees
Improving productivity is closely linked to communication and collaboration. If you want to improve one of these, you must also improve the others. Plan outside activities such as happy hours and lunch breaks to foster communication between employees in all departments.
Some offices have gyms and pool tables in common areas to encourage employee interaction during breaks, and Google has a ballroom. But you don't need to invest in an expensive playground to bond. Start small by hosting an inter-office pool tournament or a welcome party for new employees. Building these relationships is especially important for virtual teams, as it is challenging to interact spontaneously.
Team cohesion can be strengthened through personal video chats or virtual meetings, even if participants are separated by distance. More tips on networking in virtual teams can be found on our blog (link to "Why building trust is important for managing conflict in virtual teams").
Building relationships outside of the office improves teamwork in the workplace and has a positive impact on productivity.
5. Eliminate What Doesn't Make Sense
It will likely be removed if a task does not directly impact productivity, revenue, quality, or safety. By removing functions that don't contribute to your goals, you save time and energy that can be spent on more critical priorities.
About Author
Sarah Noah Liam is a software management professional with a passion for programming, EMS monitoring system, and screen capture. She holds a Master's degree in Computer Science.
