UNITED STATES—Strong businesses know that productivity is at the heart of everything they do and optimizing it can allow you to give your clients the best service or product. Streamlining processes is always a good idea, but your employees also need to be on board. Because no one technique will make you more productive overnight, you will need to combine several techniques.
Give Employees the Right Tools
If you have a fleet, the right tools can help you be as productive as possible. Implementing telematics with GPS tracking lets you collect data to plan more efficient routes for your drivers. If you are thinking about adding electric vehicles (EVs), you can use technology to make the most of the range. Learning about the average range can help your fleet be more fruitful.
Build Your Culture Around Productivity
Your culture is something that might form on its own, but you can also build it from the top down. It’s a good idea to focus on your culture because this impacts employees every day. Ask yourself what it might feel like to work at your organization. You won’t be able to see things the same way they do, but that doesn’t mean you can’t get an idea of whether your office feels busy or is more laid back. You can also get a feel for people or processes that might be getting in the way of progress. Talk to your team and encourage them to be open about any issues they are experiencing. They might feel like some improvements can be made, or they might feel like they are lacking tools that might get some of their tasks done sooner.
Create Clear Goals
Setting goals can make the team more motivated since it will give them something manageable to work towards. Think about what will motivate them to work toward these goals. You might be able to offer rewards for meeting them on time, such as additional paid time off, a free meal, or company products. Consider implementing a review system where you regularly meet with employees and team leaders. These times can be used to determine how they are doing in their assigned tasks and how challenging or easy it was to meet the goals. Don’t delay in setting the next goal after the current one has been met. This will ensure they always have something to work towards, and it allows you to make the most of your employees’ time. If you have remote workers, this process becomes even more critical since working from home comes with its own set of distractions.
Create a Productive Workspace
The area where your employees do their work can impact how productive they are. If they work on-site, you can look to optimization whenever possible. Look over the office’s flow to ensure it is easy for people to move around. There should also be plenty of room on everyone’s desks so they can spread out work as necessary. It can also help to have natural light and as much fresh air as possible. Reducing distractions can also make the space a better place to focus. You likely can’t expect them to be giving 100 percent every hour of the day, you can still keep an eye on major distractions. If your team works in the office, other employees or staff members can be distractions. You can mitigate this issue by talking with the team about staying on task and not letting them get distracted by others. For remote workers, removing distractions can be more challenging since you are not there in person. However, using time tracking software and auditing their workspace regularly can help eliminate many common distractions.
Encourage Healthy Practices
More workplaces are focusing on employee health because sick employees are not productive employees. Even though you can’t micromanage their personal decisions, you can still help out by offering healthy snacks, such as fruits and vegetables. You can also offer fitness classes and gym memberships to employees. Employee wellness programs are also becoming more popular.
