Productivity is the best trait to develop in the working environment. Rather than working hard, and in effect, burning yourself out, working productively means working more efficiently. As the saying goes – work smarter, not harder. This approach should be adopted by everyone, from employers to employees, and the strategies to achieve this better productivity are the same for everyone.
Adopting these policies and encouraging the strategies that help boost productivity can help your entire workforce achieve more milestones and goals.
Training Your Employees on Proper Procedure
One of the biggest time wasters at work is trying to find data or even a hardcopy that cannot be found. If this piece of information is important, it could mean minutes if not hours of time wasted that can then disrupt your employee’s workflow. Instead of having this issue, create a data input system with metadata rules that will allow your employees to find information easily and give them a guideline on how to store information.
These simple procedures are time savers and can help keep you and your employees from being frustrated. Being able to find everything that they need with ease will help them stay active and productive throughout the day without a problem. The more you train your employees on these standardized filing practices, the better.
Improving the Break Room
Breaks are key to better productivity, but it is the quality of break that matters. Your break room should be relaxing, and it should also have all the equipment that your employees need to stay healthy. Start by adding in a fridge and a toaster oven on top of the typical microwave and kettle. You should also consider offering healthy snacks and drink options to keep your employees going. Coffee is a much healthier alternative to energy drinks, for instance, and having a nice coffee maker can encourage your employees to opt for the better drink.
Offering Better Benefits
Some benefits are better than others. Offering a discount to employees to use the gym, for example, is a great way to encourage your employees to be healthy. Exercise is also proven to make the brain more alert and active, and in turn be more productive.
The benefits that you can offer will also vary. For instance, you can also have more flexible working hours. This means that instead of the strict nine to five workday, your employees have to work eight hours at any time throughout the day. That way, if they have something important to go to, like a family matter or important event, they would be able to leave work early and get off in time. When your employees have a certain amount of work that they are expected to do during the set time, they will work better during that period.
Workplace Culture
If your employees are unhappy with the environment in which they work, they won’t be productive. That is why sprucing up the office space so that it contains stimulants in the form of color and even with plant life can help them stay on track. Working in a gray cubicle day in and day out and not being near a window can severely hurt an employee’s mental health. Instead, make the office a nice place where they look forward to coming to work.
You should also work on improving the workplace culture with HR. Draft up a comprehensive anti-harassment policy that all employees have to sign. That way not only will they know which behavior is not acceptable, victims will also know the appropriate steps to take. From there add in many team building exercises with a variety of teams so that your employees can foster strong relationships with each other.
Working Rotation for Better Productivity
Though you won’t be able to tell your employees how to do every aspect of their jobs, you can suggest how they can be more productive and even enjoy the work that they are doing more. That’s because powering through one task at a time can cause mental strain, meaning they end up doing less work than if they were to break it up into segments. Typically, productive streaks should last about 90 minutes. During this time, you can encourage your employees to work on one task, then take a break, and when they come back to work on another task. That way they will consistently work on all that they have to do, instead of trying to finish one and neglecting the rest.
At-Home Tips for Better Productivity
Though you cannot dictate what your employees do at home, you can suggest it to them. Essentially these tactics will help you relax better at home so that you can go to work the next day fresh and ready to go.
Tactics include disconnecting from work, getting a better night’s rest, and living more minimally. Living minimally means going through your home and giving it a much-needed spring clean. Being organized and minimal in your possessions can have a beneficial effect on your productivity in the mornings. With less clutter, the less time will be spent sorting things out in the morning, where valuable time is taken up searching for your keys, for example. You can achieve this through careful curation of your belongings, improving your storage and organization, and by clicking here to find the best Bluetooth tracker so that you can always find your keys.
Being productive at work requires a good routine that helps your mind stay focused, rather than burning it out. To help your employees stay productive, try to encourage these healthy habits and try to support them as best as you can as an employer. Having a policy amongst your employees that they are not required to work at home can help them relax and come to work every day fresh and ready to work. Productive work is better than them trying to struggle to finish. You want quality, after all.
The productive workplace is one that puts emphasis on how its employees work. By supporting your employees and their mental health, you can, in turn, ensure a better quality company for your clients or customers.
