Look around and tell me what you see.
Employees with smiling faces or employees caught up with lethargy?
The smiling faces employees indicate a happy work culture and a productive work environment. Whereas the otherwise indicates your employees are tired and disengaged AF.
Workplace productivity is probably one of those crucial things that keep a company alive and thriving. However, the real question is what to do to turn unproductive employees to powerhouse employees?
Fret not, here’s everything you need to know about increasing employee productivity with the following tips.
Let’s take a look:
#1. Get rid of visual distractions
Studies suggest that 3 out of 4 employees are distracted at work and are costing companies millions of dollars.
The chances are strong that your desk is filled with piles of files, coffee mugs, family pictures, and other forms of clutter. All this makes it easier for you to get distracted.
Give your desk a bit of cleaning it requires. Discard anything that is unnecessary. Yep, digital clutter also counts - close extra tabs on your system and uninstall extra applications on your system.
#2. Create a daily to-do list
You might have heard it before and you’re hearing it again - create to-do lists. Daily to-do lists are helping the likes of Richard Branson, Oprah Winfrey, Warren Buffett to stay productive and focused.
Benefits of creating to-do lists:
- Helps you to set priorities
- Lets you coordinate similar tasks
- Makes it easier to carry over tasks
- Tracks your progress
- Don’t forget important things
#3. Provide more autonomy
Employee productivity depends on other factors as well, especially your boss. It can hit the bottom rock if your boss is always micromanaging you and the work you do.
The best advice: provide more autonomy and stop interfering too much.
It’s like a self-correcting process which makes employees more accountable for their tasks and mindful of their productivity. In return, they become more productive and focused at work.
#4. Productivity tools
Whether or not you believe it, there are productivity tools helping you remain sane and focused. Hundreds of people are already using them to manage work better and faster. There are enough time tracking, collaboration, communication apps in the market that can make you super-productive.
Benefits of productivity tools:
- Helps you plan, assign work, and set deadlines
- Streamlines processes and saves time
- Simplifies collaboration and communication
- Improves the quality of work
- Enables employees to work from anywhere
- Reporting progress becomes easier than ever
Want to create a mobile app for your business? Get help from experts at Applify.
#5. Foster better work environment
Happier the work environment, more productive employees will be. However, the opposite also holds true.
You see, it’s a vicious circle that even the most productive folks cannot escape. After realizing this, many organizations are going the extra mile to engage employees.
Plus, a better work culture infuses positive vibes in the workplace. The performance gets better, the quality of work improves, and the number of absent employees reduces dramatically.
#6. Perks, bonuses, and incentives
In order to push employees to perform better, organizations need to reward employees for what they do. It’s evident that financial incentives motivate employees to do a little extra when it comes to the work front.
When money combines with motivation, employees unleash a new productive side of theirs. Don’t hesitate to offer surprise bonuses and incentives to employees, trust me you will be amazed at the results.
#7. Let them work how they want
Not everyone operates the same way. Some employees thrive best in the 9-to-5 environment whereas some in the exact opposite setting. Thus, telling them all to work a certain way will definitely mess up with their working style, thus affecting their overall productivity.
So, let them know the work requirement and leave it to them to figure out the best way to accomplish it. At Applify, employees are given full freedom to work how they want and deliver work in a way best suited to their style.
#8. Encourage them to break some sweat
It goes without saying that employees who workout or engage in some physical activity tend to perform better than those who don’t. This is why a lot of companies now offer on-site gym to encourage employees to lead a healthy lifestyle.
If not a gym, companies can also arrange weekly yoga, Zumba, or dancing classes to keep them fit. Bringing employees together will create amazing team-building opportunities and break the monotony at work.
#9. Take more breaks
It might sound counterintuitive but taking breaks make you more productive. Working extra hard and for consecutive longer hours isn’t going to yield more results. In fact, it’s unhealthy and might even backfire.
Taking adequate breaks is essential to maintain mental well-being, employee productivity, and the quality of work.
Small breaks help employees to de-stress and remain productive for the remaining day.
Over to you
I would love to know how you stay productive at the workplace. Share your thoughts in the comments below.
