Productivity issues can occur for many reasons. An employee’s home life could be affecting their output, or the systems that you have in place could be holding everyone back. And, of course, most businesses suffer from natural dips in productivity at certain times of the day. However, there are a few ways that you can highlight the problems your business faces, and do something about them. Here’s your four-step plan to boost productivity in your workplace.
1/ Keep Your Employees Happy
Your first job is to take a look at morale around the office. If people aren’t enjoying their jobs or aren’t being recompensed appropriately, then their productivity will take a dip. Of course, there will always be people who moan about everything and slack off as much as possible, however good they have it. But as a general rule, you need to make sure you have done enough to counteract the effect that they have on everyone else. And, by supplying a nicer working environment, better pay, excellent support and training opportunities, you will be half way there already. Take a look at our guide to keeping employees happy to get you started.
2/ Identify Best Periods of Productivity
A lot of offices suffer from a lull in the afternoon period, often directly after lunch. Many people’s natural body rhythms will mean it is hard to counteract, but there are a few things you can do. First of all, make sure you know the times of day that people start dropping off. Once you know, you can begin to reorder workflow, so more important tasks are completed well before this period. Also, think about implementing a healthy food policy. Let’s say that you have a staff canteen that does a lot of fast food. People will come back to their desks after lunch and feel bloated, unhealthy and lethargic. A few healthy meals in the canteen will keep them fresher for longer.
3/ Look At Your Systems
Are the systems that you have in place an adequate match for your business? It’s all well and good thinking employees could work a little faster, but if the system they use is clunky or poorly designed, then who can blame them for being slow? Even simple tasks such as printing can take up a lot of valuable time – and cost needless money. If you have identified this as a core problem area for productivity, then have a look at these print management solutions by PrintSync Business Solutions. They have plenty of advice on how you can boost productivity by syncing your systems and working more efficiently.
4/ Encourage Fitness
If most of your staff are in a mid-afternoon lull then why not encourage them to try out some fitness? You could start a rota that allows a few of them off for an hour or so in the afternoons, with the proviso that they will go for a run or head to the gym. They will come back refreshed and fired up again, and over time your entire workforce will feel fitter, and those lethargic points of the day will be significantly reduced.
As you can see, there’s a lot you can do to boost productivity levels in your workspace. And, if you have any more ideas, don’t be afraid to let us know!
