Ways to increase staff productivity

Staff productivity is a measure of employee efficiency and has a direct correlation to business profits. If productivity levels are low, this affects the business’s output and profit level. Making efforts to improve staff productivity can boost your bottom line, and will make work a more positive place for all.

If you are looking for ways to increase your staff productivity you may find the following tips useful.

Give staff praise, purpose and autonomy

Contrary to what most of us think, research shows that bonus schemes don’t boost productivity as much as giving employees praise or autonomy over tasks. In this study, while 60% of recipients said they felt more motivated by cash incentives, 67% said they preferred words of praise or affirmation from their managers, and 62% said that being given new responsibility in their work was motivating.

Invest in staff training

In line with the research discussed above, people feel motivated when they feel trusted and valued. By giving your staff the chance to develop and expand their skillset, you are showing them that you care about what they bring to the business and that you are committed to developing their role at the company. This not only boosts productivity, but also loyalty which can save you even more time and money in the long run.

Make working easy

Making work easy for your staff involves giving them the support and tools they need to do their work. This should always begin with ensuring staff can access all the equipment they need.

As well as providing materials that make it easy for staff to do their work, give your staff access to facilities that make it easy for them to be at work. For example, cooking facilities such as a microwave, kettle and fridge, so they can prepare healthy food and drinks, and feel more relaxed at work. We spend on average 40 hours a week at work, so it is important that the workplace is a comfortable place for staff to be.

Offer flexibility

If the work that your company does facilitates flexible working try letting your staff work from home. Offering staff remote working opportunities shows that you have trust in them to get the work without direct supervision, which we’ve already mentioned boosts productivity.

This has additional benefits for you as an employer and the staff who work for you. For instance, it can help reduce company overheads as you don’t need to pay as much on rent and utilities. Furthermore, people who work from home often work longer hours as they don’t have to factor in commuting time.

Let staff work when they want to work

If remote working isn’t feasible for your business, then consider flexible working that allows your staff to choose when they work. As we all know, some people are “morning people” and others have more energy and focus in the afternoon or evening. If you’re able to offer your staff some flexibility about what time they start their shift, then this could tap into a new source of productivity because they’re naturally more active or enthusiastic at this time of the day. If you want to offer your staff this kind of flexibility you can use an online staff scheduling system which gives your employees the option to request shifts, and even swap them with others, all in one place without you having to constantly update a hard copy.

Be a happy employer

One way to increase your staff’s productivity is to create an environment that makes your staff happy to be there. Economists at the University of Warwick found thathappiness led to staff to being 12% more productive, whilst unhappy workers are 10% less productive.

You don’t have to spend a fortune on creating a happy work environment. You can make small changes like encouraging staff to communicate in person instead of by email, relaxing your company’s dress code, organizing staff days out, and creating a wind-down area in the office so staff can take productive breaks. Make it such a great place to work that your staff will always feel happy to be there and to be working productively!

Author: Emma Saldanha is a content creator at Findmyshift. Emma has more than 10 years experience in content creation, marketing and PR. In between writing for Findmyshift, Emma writes marketing and branding advice for small to medium business on her blog, writtenbyems. Connect with Emma on Twitter and Facebook.