Be More Productive. Now.
Employees spending long hours in the office are not an uncommon sight these days. But how much of the work day is spent productively is another matter altogether.
As the saying goes “it’s not the number of hours you put into work, it is the amount of work you put in those hours”. So what can you do as an employer to increase productivity at the workplace? Here are some tips you can follow.
1. Instill accountability in your employees.
By making your workers accountable for their actions and decisions (regardless of their position), it encourages them to be more cautious and meticulous when it comes to their work, hence minimising the risk of errors.
In addition, instilling accountability in your employees also gives them a sense of ownership, so that they too feel they have a stake in the company and how it performs.
2. Manage but don’t micro-manage.
The fine line between managing and micro-managing can be hard to distinguish. With micro-managing, the danger lies in your employees becoming overly dependent on you and unable to make their own decisions.
To prevent such a scenario, start trusting your employees to operate in whatever style they are comfortable with to get the job done — after all, they passed the screening process during the hiring process so they must possess the necessary skills. Having faith in your workers’ abilities encourages and empowers them with the confidence to give their all.
On the other hand, don’t be quick to pinpoint the blame whenever trouble arises. Speak to him or her first to find out what can be done to prevent the same mistake from happening again.
3. Motivate and reward for good results.
While it may sound like common sense, many employers fail to give workers recognition for a job well done — which can result in employee morale dropping. Rewarding your hardworking employees with monetary bonuses clearly shows how much you value their work and will motivate them to continue doing their best for the company.
But what if budget constraints prevent you from giving them a raise? Don’t simply remain silent and expect them to know that you recognise their efforts! In fact, it is times like these when keeping staff morale up is most important.
Give your staff words of encouragement and assure them that once the situation improves, they will be rewarded accordingly. Or perhaps, offer other forms of rewards such as an increase in leave days or time off. Remember, recognition can come in many forms, not just monetary.
4. Provide the proper equipment.
When menial tasks can be automated using the office equipment, it often makes sense to do so. This helps free up manpower to work on more meaningful tasks. But it’s also important to choose equipment that is functional and easy to use.
That’s why when purchasing office equipment, get the competitive edge with brands that have a history of reliability such as Canon. Offering a full spectrum of high quality imaging products from input to output, Canon business solutions are renowned for high efficiency while being low in maintenance. They also come backed with strong after-sales support to ensure your business continues to run smoothly.
5. Provide upgrading opportunities.
Just like purchasing the proper equipment helps make your employees more productive, so will upgrading their skills. By sending them for training courses, you equip them with the latest skills and introduce them to new (and potentially more efficient) ways of doing their job.
However, not all skills upgrading requires spending thousands of dollars and dozens of hours in classes. Having your experienced staff share their useful knowledge with other workers can also be a form of upgrading.
6. Break the routine.
Aligning job tasks with an employee’s abilities makes perfect sense but having him or her perform the same duties 40 hours a week may become tedious and even counter-productive in the long run.
To break the monotony, rotate job responsibilities from time to time and introduce new roles where possible. This allows your staff to expand their skill-set and also gives them a better understanding of how the business works.
Low productivity in the workplace can jeopardise the sustainability of any business, especially SMEs, if left unresolved for some time. So be sure to monitor the efficiency of your workers; not by hovering over them like a hawk, but by communicating with them to learn about any grievances they wish to share. Tackling such issues sooner rather than later will go a long way in ensuring your business reaches its true potential.