There has been a 2.4% increase in productivity in business in 2019. It’s vital to note that this increase took place within the first quarter of the year.
With that in mind, what are you doing to ensure that your business contributes to this positive trend? Do you want to make your business processes as efficient as possible? Keep reading to learn simple yet effective ways to increase productivity at your company.
How to Increase Productivity
Improving your company’s productivity isn’t only about contributing to the stats above. It’s also about keeping up with the competition and improving profitability.
Therefore, whether you have four employees or fifty of them, it’s essential you take steps that’ll help you achieve the mentioned. Here’re a few work productivity tips to get you started.
1. Set Realistic Goals
Lack of direction is one of the main reasons why businesses fail. The first step to increasing productivity within your company is setting realistic short and long term goals. Having clear and concise goals creates a sense of direction.
For instance, by setting monthly goals, everyone within the organization becomes aware of what they’re supposed to work towards and achieve before the month ends. It also creates cohesion as employees work harmoniously with each other to meet the target.
Short term goals are especially important because they act as stepping stones towards long term goals. Therefore, set short term goals which edge your company towards the bigger picture.
2. Automate Things
As noted above, goals help create a sense of direction. However, without the right equipment, it’ll take ages for them to become a reality. In respect to that, try and automate as many processes as you possibly can within your company.
For instance, consider Netsuite implementation to streamline procurement processes and enhance remote access to organizational data. Other than that, ensure that all the equipment used within the company is fully functional and up to date with the current technology.
The right software and equipment enables employees to perform their roles efficiently and also saves on time. Automation also reduces the risk of costly errors.
3. Improve Working Conditions
Employees satisfied with their working environment are more likely to produce excellent outcomes. Therefore, apart from making things easier through automation, ensure that the working conditions suit every staff member.
For instance, make sure that the heating and air conditioning systems are in good shape all year round. In other words, being in a comfy workplace boosts concentration, which automatically means better results, which is what you want.
4. Limit Interruptions
Something as simple as a message notification is enough to distract you when you’re deeply engrossed in work-related tasks. A one-hour lunch meeting disrupts the entire afternoon routine for employees as it takes them time to direct their focus to work again.
Now, since meetings are unavoidable and it doesn’t make sense to impose a no-phone policy, what should you do? Well, set breaks during which employees can use their phones.
Also, spread meetings throughout the week and hold them before or after work. This results in fewer interruptions meaning more time for staff members to focus on work, hence increasing productivity.
5. Offer Positive Reinforcement
Positive reinforcement works hand in hand with all the ways to increase productivity listed above. Thereby, do whatever you can to make employees feel appreciated. For instance, when they do a good job, ensure you congratulate them personally.
Motivate them to achieve even more by providing incentives and rewards. When they fail to meet the set target, give constructive criticism instead of threatening to fire them. These might seem like insignificant actions, but they tend to improve productivity in a significant way.
This is because employees will consider you a leader instead of a boss. Therefore, they become comfortable in approaching you with suggestions and ideas that’ll improve business performance.
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