Our 'Great 8' tips for improving workplace productivity
Are you leaving work each day feeling like you haven’t achieved what you’d set out to? Maybe you’re a frustrated business owner who feels their staff are failing to fulfil their duties?
If the answer to the above questions is yes, then you should read the following - our great 8 tips for increased productivity in the workplace:
1. Carefully select your team members.
Cultural fit is really important when hiring for your business because productivity is influenced by how good your employees are at their job. As they say, “It’s not about where you work, it’s about who you work with.” Consider all employees when hiring a new team member and remember, it’s ok to be picky to establish the strongest possible team.
2. Be positive.
We all have our bad days, but it’s important to instil habits like positive reinforcement. This is all about leading by example and we don’t just mean the manager or owner of a company. Employees feel empowered and valued when spoken to positively by another employee. When someone feels empowered at work, they’re more likely to get the job done efficiently, with a little extra motivation behind them.
3. Invest in staff development.
Having a team of highly skilled and knowledgeable employees naturally results in higher productivity levels. The initial stages might feel the opposite as it’s time consuming, but it’s just one of those ‘short term pain, long term gain’ scenarios. Some of the benefits include:
Improving the mental wellbeing of staff
Increase the effectiveness of business operations
Saving time and money
Attracting employees
It’s also beneficial to provide staff with the technology tools they require. Office 365 is an efficient and effective platform that helps to manage all areas of communication. If a single work environment distributes the same software among all employees, there’s less room for error.
4. Prioritise mental and physical health.
According to research by Mental Health Australia, the lack of intervention/treatment for employees with mental health conditions, accounts for a total loss of over $6.5 billion for businesses each year.
Prioritising the mental health of employees will ensure they enjoy coming to work each day, achieve personal and team goals and have a strong relationship with fellow employees. Having ‘mental health days’ with guest speakers is one way to ensure employees are educated in this area. Another great tactic is regular check-ins with employees to ask how things are going.
5. Provide a space to escape.
Sometimes all we need is a little time out. Having a separate space where employees can escape from distractions or simply have some alone time can increase productivity levels and allow them to focus on a singular task without distractions.
6. Less meetings, more purpose.
Many people still believe that meetings are always a good idea. However, it’s good to be clear on the purpose of a meeting prior to calling it, otherwise it can be a waste of your own and someone else’s time. Consider the goal of the meeting first - it might be more effective to have a 10 minute chat on the phone!
7. Communication is key.
Not only are staff members reassured of their duties, but communication helps build mutual respect and understanding among employees. Strong communication can mitigate conflict, assist in building relationships and ensure employees are engaged in their work.
8. Outsource an IT company.
Let someone else take charge of the tricky stuff by hiring an external IT company. Some of the benefits include:
Wider range of knowledge and an expert opinion.
They can alert you to new updates and software that might better suit your business needs.
They have a strong connection with other techies, so if they can’t solve your problem, chances are high they’ll know someone who can.
Reduced risk of data loss and technical mishaps.
Costs tend to be lower because they can be on call, instead of employing someone full-time when they may only be required 1 or 2 times a week, if that.
