Productivity is one of the major concerns of a firm while managing its business. Every successful business understands the importance of workplace productivity. Companies are always searching for ways to improve productivity in their workplaces. Without high productivity, no firm is going to generate the profits they are looking for. A company’s productivity is improved by turning its resources into its income in the minimum amount of time. So every business has to make the most out of their working hours. Every firm needs to focus on making its employees more productive while they are in the office.
People can waste maximum time while they are in the office. Employees may attend their job regularly but you do not know how efficiently they are working while they are in the office. They can be using their phones, constantly checking for notifications or surfing their social media accounts. Employees can find any number of excuses to delay the task assigned for them, they can be spending their time talking, roaming, holding unnecessary meetings with other employees and all kinds of stuff that is not related to their work. To avoid such scenarios companies must take some initiatives to keep its employees interested in the tasks that are entrusted to them.
Here are some of the measures that can help your firm to increase its productivity in the workplace.
1.Set deadlines.
Setting a deadline can help the workers to focus more on working on their individual duties. The employees are subconsciously aware of the fact that there is an assignment they have to finish under a certain deadline. One should prepare a to-do list a day before they start working on a job. Setting an imaginary deadline can result in an increase in the rate of production significantly. A working individual should be able to track the amount of time they are taking to finish a task. Workers should be encouraged to give themselves lesser time compared to the time they think they actually need to accomplish a task. This will help the employees to realize their potential.
2. Get rid of distractions
Distractions are everywhere and no one can be expected to not get distracted. Distractions at the workplace are one of the root causes of a less efficient workspace. Each and every individual in the workplace should get rid of their distractions so that they can concentrate on their work more. People tend to be impulsive when it comes to their phones, every sound made by it will increase the desire of looking at it just one more time. Put your phone on silent mode while working as it is the major source of distraction. Also, the mobile phone can distract other people in your surroundings.
3. Stop multitasking
Multitasking is never an effective way to accomplish tasks when you are working on a schedule. People may think they are doing multiple things at once but in reality, they are just switching from one task to provide time for another. Juggling between two or more tasks will only increase the time and effort that takes to finish them. Multitasking increases mental stress when one has to shift his/her focus from one task to another while retaining the information from the previous one. Prepare plan and schedule tasks. Set a certain amount of time for each and work on one task at a time. A better way to do it is by utilizing a bullet journal which helps you to be productive.
4. Enhance your workplace conditions
The impact of the workplace environment on an employee is more than one could imagine. An employee may or may not be willing to work just by the sheer aesthetic of the workplace. A survey conducted by CareerBuilder found out that more than 53% of employees cannot work efficiently in places that are too cool. Make sure that the working space is at the optimum temperature. Decorate your office, have it well furnished. Make sure that the office and its surroundings are kept clean. No one feels motivated to work in an untidy atmosphere. Take professional help if needed, there are commercial cleaning companies like JAN-PRO that specialize in cleaning all types of workplaces.
5. Getting enough sleep
Employees all around the world state that sleep deprivation is one of the main issues that keep them away from being more productive during their working hours. Make sure that you or anyone else is not deprived of sleep because of their work. Less sleeping time results in, decreased memory, inability to pay attention, struggling to make logical decisions and making mistakes while performing their duty. A person can only perform their duties properly when they are healthy. Also, sound sleep is essential for good health.
6.Delegation
Good delegation is the key to increasing the productivity of any business. Some may think to delegate is to ask someone else to do something on their behalf as they are unable to do it themselves, but it’s not the case. You can entrust some of your less complicated work to people that are aware of the process of doing it. List out the tasks that you can be delegated to others. Check who can perform the kind of tasks you want. Encourage them while they are working on those tasks. Evaluate and appreciate them after completion of work.
7. Positive attitude
People who tend to be optimistic outperform those who are not optimistic. Happy people have a different approach towards a job compared to depressed ones. Always greet the other employees with a smile and warmth. Avoid saying anything negative or offensive when you are being critical of someone. Make it clear in the workplace that you are only commenting on their work and not on them as a person.
8. Schedule your breaks
Breaks are very important for an individual to maintain focus on their work. Sitting constantly in one place and working for hours on end without any breaks will only make the employees more stressed. Taking breaks in between work reenergizes the staff and helps maintain focus for a long time. While taking breaks increases productivity, you should not take breaks at any time you want. Schedule your breaks, organize them according to your tasks. Study shows that taking a break for every one and a half hour makes the employees more productive.
9. Avoid Micromanaging
While it is okay to guide and help your employees, it is not good to be in their face constantly. Employees are not children to spoonfeed them everything. Make them feel comfortable in their position. Correcting them constantly makes them less confident and more fearful. Let them make some mistakes. Correct and teach them how to avoid those mistakes next time. Encourage your employees to share their ideas and thoughts. Maintain two-way communication if you want to take your inputs from them.
Conclusion
Without high productivity, no business can sustain in the long run. A firm is highly productive only when its employees are at their best during work. An employee is only productive when he/she feels motivated to get the job done. People should get rid of the distractions that they cannot avoid. Schedule tasks and complete them by having self-imposed deadlines. Having a great working environment and a positive attitude are essentials to improve productivity. Small intervals between work are important to regain lost energy. Healthy employees are more productive, so make sure that everyone is in their best health condition. Understand that you cannot force people to be productive, you can only inspire them by being productive.