It’s the age-old dilemma for businesses: how to maximize employee output. Since employees are a company’s most valuable resource, they should be given every opportunity to thrive at work.

There have been significant changes in business practices and human resource management in recent years. Remote working has fundamentally changed the talent market, resulting in anything from a great resignation period to record-high engagement levels.

But how can we keep productivity high among staff members while implementing these modifications? Read on, as in this part, we will discuss the most effective ways to increase productivity in the workplace.

Identify and document your expectations

If you want your employees to be more productive, you need to help them set specific personal goals. According to one study, only 15% of employees understand the company’s most important objectives or what is needed to accomplish them.

Managers must ensure that the company’s overarching vision and goals are in sync with each KPI. Empower your employees to set their KPIs after understanding your company’s business objectives. This is a great strategy for stimulating the imagination of employees and encouraging new ideas at work.

Effective training is also important if you want your employees to do a good job. However, before signing up for any type of training, it is best to do a training need analysis to determine where the company’s knowledge gaps are. Use a training needs analysis template to save time and make sure you cover all the bases when doing your own.

Promote openness and cohesion within your organization

The need for more openness and organizational alignment among teams is a major contributor to poor performance in the workplace. If employees do not have a common understanding of the company’s values, purpose and vision, they cannot work together towards common objectives.

However, there is still great potential for growth in this area for many businesses. One research found that 19% of employees either do not understand their core values ​​or simply do not know them, and 31% of employees wish their managers would communicate with them more often.

So what are your options? Enhance your internal communication plan by allocating additional resources to it. To keep your employees updated on corporate events and goals, start sending newsletters or hosting podcasts. Whenever you host a webinar or podcast for your employees, it’s important to include input from company executives.

Increase teamwork (without adding more meetings)

When employees work together as a team and across departments, productivity increases. These days, most projects involve interdepartmental collaboration. However, the rise of remote and hybrid work has made collaboration more challenging.

Remote employees need to be able to work and communicate effectively in any situation if they are to collaborate and remain productive without sitting in hours-long meetings. They need specific online meeting places and mechanisms to coordinate their efforts.

If your company operates on a remote model, it can be beneficial to bring distant teams together for Quarterly Business Reviews (QBRs). Teams must occasionally come together in person, even when virtual communication is sufficient to get the job done.

Focus on Employee Experience

In most cases, a more engaged workforce produces better results. However, in order to boost employee engagement, it is necessary to first understand the elements that make up workers’ experiences at work.

Salary is only one aspect that motivates employees; For others, other variables such as advancement prospects, workplace autonomy, a pleasant environment, and so on, may be more important.

If you want to know what motivates your employees, you should ask them. Before making assumptions about how to boost morale in the workplace, consider conducting a company-wide employee engagement survey.

give regular feedback

Employees who receive regular feedback from their superiors are more likely to take initiative, work well with others, and care about their jobs. Naturally, they are more productive.

Feedback is necessary at least once a week, if not every day. One-on-one meetings are ideal times for managers to give constructive criticism to their employees.

Bottom-up input is just as important as top-down feedback, so make sure you foster both often. Some of your managers may not like it, but it’s the best way to help them develop as leaders and strengthen the relationships between their teams.

set up a reward system

One of the best strategies for increasing productivity and efficiency at work is to express gratitude to your employees. Employees forget to express gratitude in the absence of a structured appreciation program.

Establish a formal means for staff members to express their gratitude to each other. Make sure the incentives are in line with the long-term objectives of the company. Also, be as open as you can so everyone knows what is expected of them and how they should behave.

While monetary incentives are effective for many individuals, it is possible to create a meaningful non-monetary recognition program. Offer incentives such as time spent with the CEO, paid time off, or the chance to make a monetary contribution to a cause dear to the employee’s heart.

Facilitate the development of your managers into capable leaders

Managers can significantly influence employee output. Employee motivation, engagement and productivity all improve when employees have a good rapport with their management.

However, organizations must provide the resources their managers need to develop into effective leaders. They need to ensure they have the necessary technology in the workplace and provide adequate training opportunities.

Managers need to be able to check in on their team’s morale and productivity at any time. HR should collaborate with managers to prepare monthly or quarterly pulse surveys.

When conducting surveys among your employees, don’t overlook cutting-edge options. Choose a mobile-friendly platform to drive engagement and ensure your frontline staff are never out of the loop. The best types of survey findings are those that provide concrete suggestions for change, so that managers have a clear picture of where their efforts can best be used.

reduce the amount of data available

Information overload is a major cause of lost productivity in the workplace. Despite this difficulty, many businesses treat all employees equally and give them access to the same information.

Instead, information should be tailored to employees’ roles, languages, regions, hobbies, time zones and other factors.

One study found that 76% of employees said that having too much information was a source of stress for them. In addition, 35% claim they are not performing as well as they would like to because of the amount of work they have to do, and 30% say they are less satisfied with their jobs as a result.

If you need help making your company’s content more timely and interesting to its audience, consider launching a social intranet. These social media-inspired tools aim to increase interest in internal communications and encourage greater participation from employees.

They provide a central location for all relevant company information and act as a “digital home” for each employee.

final thoughts

It is impossible to increase productivity among all employees. However, by using a mix of the above strategies, you can help your employees be more productive and advance in their careers.

While no one can predict which strategy will work best for you and your team, it’s worth trying. By experimenting with different methods of increasing efficiency and productivity, you will be able to understand how beneficial it is to invest in the personal development of your employees.