How to Improve Workplace Productivity
The way we work has changed.
Plain to see, especially with the emergence of new post-pandemic working environments, it’s important to acknowledge the ways businesses have shifted towards greater flexibility and adaptability. Because of this, our relationship with productivity has also changed, both at home and in the workplace.
Remote and hybrid workforces are the new norm and, even if you’re going into a physical workplace each day, it’s likely you still have to deal with remote employees, co-workers, or clients.
If you’re interested in learning how you can improve workplace productivity, keep reading. It’s possible to improve productivity, even when modern distractions are plentiful.
What Is Workplace Productivity?
The word “productivity” has a general meaning – but also very individual meanings for different people too. Take a minute and think about what it means to you. It’s important to know exactly what you mean when you say productivity because, without a clear approach and meaning to improving workplace productivity, it’s unlikely you’ll be able to achieve it.
Also, you should work out how you can measure productivity so you can track whether or not it’s really improving.
A generic definition for the term “workplace productivity” is as follows: It’s the measure of the total business output (goods and services) versus the total input (labour and costs).
Improving Employee Productivity vs. Improving Self-Productivity
Unfortunately, there isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution when it comes to creating a productive workplace. Improving employee productivity and self-productivity in real time takes the application of a variety of strategies, tools, and data-driven tips. Looking at your engaged employees or an individual employee who performs especially well can often help when trying to create a more productive workplace in general.
Employee productivity
When it comes to improving employee productivity within a company, it’s important to view it in a different way than improving self-productivity.
Dealing with employee productivity issues is often complicated. The problem has more than one source and some of these factors will be outside of your control. Despite this, there are still plenty of things you can do as a business owner to help you improve employee performance and employee satisfaction. For example, it always pays to invest in your team’s wellbeing. Encourage your team to monitor their activity levels and to stay mentally healthy. To show that you care and to maximise development, it’s important to work on your company culture too. Note that even before the pandemic 61% of teams reported that they were burned out at their current job.
The number one way to ensure productive employees is to track time for tasks. Business leaders should analyse how their teams are using their time. There are a few ways that this can be done as well as several metrics that can be tracked with automation software, such as the time it takes to complete tasks or how many daily tasks get done, for example. Studying this data reveals which employees are most productive and which take a longer period of time to achieve the same results.
Studies have shown that one of the keys to improving productivity is to set and commit to deadlines. Regularly meeting deadlines demonstrates the ability to stay focused, and part of running a company is taking responsibility for making sure that goals are met on schedule.
Self-productivity
Self-productivity is a little different in that the only person to hold you accountable is yourself. There are steps you can take to eliminate workplace stress or the biggest workplace distraction but only you know what works for you on an individual level. In short, self-productivity is about becoming somewhat of a time management expert and being able to manage yourself when you’re working alone, no matter workplace conditions or repetitive tasks.
Creating a scheduling period each week where you take the time to plan and organise your productivity for the rest of the week is the best way to ensure no chunk of time goes wasted.
Again, peak focus times will differ with each individual in your entire company so find out which periods of the day your productivity level is at its best and work then.
The number one rule to remember is that everybody is different. Experiment and find which periods throughout the day are best for the kind of work you’re doing, whether this is in the morning, the afternoon or the evening.
alldayPA’s Favourite Ways to Improve Workplace Productivity
When it comes to enhancing business productivity, the team at alldayPA are second to none. Our client base is quite expansive – no matter the size of the business or sector, we have a dedicated task force that is clued into the best practices for getting your team working at a level not to be scoffed at.
We’ve asked the experts here, and below are some of the best ways that you can improve your workplace productivity.
Using Technology to Automate Repetitive Tasks
As technology continues to develop so do strategies and techniques for businesses, many of which can help them to streamline their services and operations. Automation has been a huge part of these developments – automating tasks involves minimising human input and saving employees time, maximising productivity and boosting efficiency within workplaces. An example: marketing campaigns.
Marketing automation can be implemented across multiple platforms to assist with your marketing efforts. Effective marketing automation might include email marketing, display and social ads as well as traffic tracking.
For example, automated reminders to customers are especially effective for businesses within the eCommerce industry. I’m sure you’ve experienced leaving something in your cart and being hit with a follow-up to remind you about your potential purchases. This can be easily automated across a number of platforms depending on a user’s behaviour.
Creating a Positive Working Environment
There are several ways that you can create a more positive working environment. Offering career development opportunities builds a commitment and engagement cycle in office environments, habits that are crucial to business productivity. One study showed that 68% of millennial workers surveyed cited a clear path to growth in their role as the most important factor and motivator in keeping them engaged.
It’s clear that employees who feel that businesses who are willing to take an interest in their personal development are more likely to go the extra mile when needed, not to mention the positive employee retention that comes alongside this. Employee morale is bound to decrease if individuals feel that their time with a company has been a waste of time and doesn’t reflect their own business goals.
Creating a positive working environment also helps to attract new talent to an otherwise average office. By nurturing internal talent, you’ll be saving money on the costs of external hiring, and you’ll also be more likely to fill vacancies with current staff. However, if it’s necessary to recruit talent from elsewhere, it’s important to position your company as a desirable employer.
Whether you like it or not, people talk, and word will soon get around that your company values its employees and that its company goals align with that.
Making Sure Your Team Has the Tools They Need
From time to time, it can feel like there aren’t enough hours in the day, especially as a small business. However, with effective time management, communication tools and collaboration tools, you can dedicate more time to the areas of your business that need it most.
Generic productivity tools aside, knowing when to delegate can be a daunting task. Even the most motivated employee needs to know when they don’t have the necessary skills or time to complete a task. Although most business owners like to take care of everything that needs doing, to ensure that the task gets done to the best standards, it’s important that your team knows when to delegate.
If you need to delegate your tasks and create more time for yourself and your employees, alldayPA offers the perfect solution. From starter packages for call answering to a virtual receptionist package and an outsourced call centre solution, alldayPA offer bespoke services to help your business reach its full potential.
Avoid Distractions and Productivity Stoppers
To become a master of business administration, you’ll need to be able to commit to a challenging task and see it through to the end, no matter how many distractions or productivity stoppers come your way in the form of mobile phones, social media, or simply your own brain.
Plenty of research has shown that distractions don’t just take up time but degrade the overall quality of work. So if you’re working and need to take a break, consider getting some natural light and fresh air instead of heading into friends’ offices and getting completely sidetracked. Office room dividers are one way to avoid distractions without upsetting business relationships or decreasing employee satisfaction in general.
Using project management tools in times when you know you’re going to struggle is key to keeping your mind on the task at hand. Schedule in time to read the Harvard Business Review, to work on an employee recognition program, or for a business meeting if necessary, but ensure you stick to your schedule so you can get everything done.
With a hundred things to do and never enough time in the day, it can feel impossible to take time out to work on employee engagement or leadership development. Thankfully, alldayPA offers great packages to ensure your business never misses a call or message again.
How alldayPA Can Help Your Business
At alldayPA, we help businesses offload the tasks that take more time and money than they return. We are a customer-centric call handling company that offers a wide range of services, including a telephone answering service, virtual receptionist, outsourced call centre and call handling.
Find out more about our business support packages here or call 0333 009 7963 for a bespoke quote today.