Your employees are like your first customers. They’re the individuals who contribute to your company’s success more than your product or service. But, for your business to really thrive, you have to keep your workforce productive, engaged, and happy. So, how can you ensure this? In this blog post, we’ll share six tactics you can implement to inspire and motivate your employees.
What is employee productivity?
Simply put, employee productivity measures how effectively your team contributes to achieving your business goals. It's not just about doing a lot; it's about delivering results. Doing more with less is a key aspect. Efficient teams can achieve their goals without wasting time or resources.
Finally, productivity isn't just a numbers game. High productivity means consistently delivering work that meets or exceeds standards.
Why is employee productivity so important?
The more productive your employees are, the more work gets done. Understanding this is crucial for the overall business success and growth.
Here are several reasons why:
- Business Efficiency: When tasks are completed in a timely and effective manner, it positively impacts the overall operations of the company.
- Innovation and Creativity: Productive employees are more likely to have the time and energy to focus on innovative and creative endeavors.
- Customer Satisfaction: Productive employees are better equipped to meet customer demands promptly. Satisfied customers are more likely to remain loyal and recommend the company to others.
- Employee Retention: A productive workplace is often a more fulfilling and rewarding environment for employees. This can boost job satisfaction and reduce turnover.
- Financial Performance: Improved productivity contributes to higher revenues and profitability, which are essential for the long-term sustainability of the business.
- Overall Organizational Health: A culture of productivity promotes a healthy and dynamic organization. It encourages collaboration, accountability, and a focus on continuous improvement, fostering a positive and successful work environment.
Our tips to improve employee motivation and productivity
Motivation plays a huge role in productivity, so, to keep your team engaged and to maximize their performance, you’ll also have to be a strong motivator as well. Now that you know how essential team productivity is, we’ll share some tips you can use you keep employees productive and motivated.
Improve your onboarding process
A smooth and effective onboarding program is your very first opportunity to successfully integrate new collaborators into your company culture. Create onboarding guides and give a very warm welcome to your new talents. You can do this by, for example, pairing the newcomers with seasoned mentors.
Boost employee collaboration
The bigger a company is, the bigger the chance a collaborator doesn’t know every colleague’s name. This is more true with the emergence of remote and hybrid work. Bring down these barriers between your team members and build bridges across different departments by implementing initiatives such as coffee breaks or lunch roulettes. These bonds are a must for team and cross-functional collaboration.
You employees will work smarter and more efficiently if they’re able to keep up with industry shifts and trending tools, or resources. Help them do their jobs better by providing internal training and development opportunities. Beyond ‘formal’ courses and education, focus on shared learning and peer-to-peer collaboration: you can bring together mentors and mentees, nurturing talent, and honing skills; and you can even pair employees up to observe and provide feedback on each other's tasks.
Ask for feedback and Increase transparency
Encourage open and anonymous feedback. This will facilitate transparency and improve organizational alignment, which results in a higher level of workplace performance. Use “Ask me Anything” boards or suggestion boxes to bridge communication gaps and collect your teams’ questions and ideas.
Encourage flexibility at work
Forget micromanaging. Empower your team to take ownership of their projects and tasks, and let them be their own boss. Give them the flexibility to decide where and how to work according to their strengths and needs. This will increase their wellbeing and allow them to have a more structured work/life balance.
Stick up for team communication
How well you communicate with team members will play a critical role in your business’ success. Use internal channels, such as Slack, newsletters, and others, to keep your employees informed and up to date about company news, timelines, milestones and other relevant information. And always communicate positively.
Keep paying attention to employee productivity and motivation
Implementing these ideas will help improve your work culture, boost motivation, and ultimately increase productivity. Stay attuned to your employees' needs and continually strive to enhance your company culture.
Start using Wellbeing Warrior
Experience the benefits of an engaged and productive team with Wellbeing Warrior. We practice what we preach and can help you implement the tactics discussed in this blog post.