Productivity in the workplace is something that comes in waves. It is a concept that rises and falls because the work environment is in a constant state of change. There are new employees and new technology that is constantly changing your work environment. If you want to get employees in a space where they are more productive you should consider the following tips.
1. Team Building Exercises
It may sound cliché, but team-building exercises will always be effective when it comes to increasing productivity. The reason for this is simple. Employees must work together. Sometimes they have to be forced in interesting situations where they are coming together as a group. Team building exercises can help you bring people together that would usually avoid one another even though they work with these people.
When you engage your employees in team building activities they get the chance to observe their co-workers. They become aware of their skills. This can help teams make better decisions when it comes to group projects. Knowing who is skilled in certain areas helps create a better team.
2. Luncheons
Another area where productivity seems to come together is through company luncheons where workers can communicate. There are a lot of ways to bring your employees together, and it does not always have to be in a work environment. Sometimes they need to be able to simply socialize with one another and become friends with their peers.
This can go a long way. The time that they spend together eating and socializing outside of work can enhance their work relationships when they are back at the office.
3. Company Meetings
Communication is important. Sometimes it is good to have a company meeting where you can reinforce the rules and the mission of the business. A lot of workers find themselves in places where they are simply doing the task that needs to be done during the day. They are not giving much thought to the overall mission of the company. It is up to you to create opportunities to speak to the workers as a group and reinforce this.
4. Training
There are times where workers have a decrease in productivity because they simply do not know what they are doing. The technology may be evolving, and they may be scared of losing their jobs. They may have no idea what is going on, but they could be too scared to ask questions out of fear of being replaced.
It is important to provide training when new technology is put in place. It is never a good idea to assume that people know what they are doing just because they have mastered the technology that was used prior to the implementation of new technology.
5. Promotions and Raises
Employees are only going to do the bare minimum when they feel like there is no way to advance. It is going to be hard for them to even consider going above and beyond the call of duty if they have topped out with their salaries. If there is no chance for any type of promotion the productivity levels decrease.
You should look at ways to provide incentives. If you have employees that are exceeding the standards you could consider giving out awards to these top performers.
6. Happy Work Environment
If you are trying to figure out how to keep your team on track you must start with creating a happy work environment. This tends to be one of the biggest complaints that people have when they are not productive at work. They are unsatisfied with the stressful conditions of the workplace. Consider working with a smart approach which is adapting various means to reduce the employee efforts & save time. For example, adapting technological means such as software to manage tasks rather than having the employees to keep a journal.
This can cause anyone that is part of this environment to want to change their surroundings. You must work on reducing stress by having Q&A sessions where you ask questions to see how you can make the work environment better.
7. Free Food
It is not going to stand out as the gateway to productivity at first glance, but free food is definitely a game-changer in any work environment. Companies that provide small perks like snacks and food choices for free are going to have a lot of productive employees. People that can get food or snacks without leaving the building are going to be able to work longer. They are going to be able to do more because they have access to food.
If you want to spark productivity get fresh fruit in place. Get something that can energize the workers when they are feeling a bit sleepy after lunch. This is definitely the route that you want to go if you are not able to provide employees with more money.
Getting perks like free food makes employees feel like they have essentially received a raise because they are not spending as much money on food during the day.
