4 Ways to Improve Productivity at Work

No matter what you do, you only have 24 hours in a single day. Of that, most of your employees work between 8 to 10 hours each day. Since it’s doubtful that you’ll be able to convince them to work more hours, you’ll need to find a way to improve workplace productivity. And today, I’m going to offer a few suggestions to show you exactly how you can support your employees to do just that. These four suggestions are perfect for improving employee performance, even though some of them may go against the grain (and conventional thought). Even so, incorporating all of these suggestions will make your job as a manager so much easier. Ready?

Workplace Ergonomics

Ergonomics is simply “an applied science concerned with designing and arranging things people use so that the people and things interact most efficiently and safely” as defined by Merriam-Webster. So, how can you apply ergonomics to the workplace? Start with the employee environment …

• Do your employees have to leave their area a lot to finish projects?
• Is everybody crammed into a small room with low natural lighting?
• Are the desks adjustable for different individual heights?
• Are the chairs stiff and uncomfortable?
• Is the temperature comfortable?

How your employees interact with their environment can affect their quality of work. If they feel cramped and/or confined, they’ll be less productive. If they can’t have personal pictures on their desk, they may feel disconnected. Take the time to look into your workplace ergonomics. Check workstation heights and provide ergonomic tools and resources to your employees so they can avoid injury and be more comfortable and productive. Be willing to make some changes. Ask your employees what they feel would help them to be more effective - you’ll be amazed at what they suggest.

Give Them More Breaks

Did you know that the best employees (the top 10%) take more breaks than their “work hard” counterparts? In fact, studies have shown that employees that take breaks are more relaxed, calm, and effective. While this goes against everything you believe, you’ll find that it helps with morale more than you think. When they don’t feel like they’re being “milked” for all they’re worth, they’ll give more. Reward them with more breaks, say ten minutes every hour, and you’ll see productivity skyrocket!

Improved Email/Inbox Organization

Most email inboxes are FULL of spam, useless emails of conversations between employees, and/or important documents from the marketing and accounting department. If you’ve got to scroll through pages of useless drivel just to get to the email from the marketing department, you’re wasting a TON of time and that’s taking its toll on productivity. Work on creating a folder structure to each employee inbox with dedicated filters to help route everything properly. For instance, have all the marketing emails go to the Inbox > Marketing Department folder and have all the accounting emails go to the Inbox > Accounting folder. Using a SINGLE folder structure will make it easy to create training materials that every employee can use. Plus, it will help them to find everything quickly, without wasting so much time searching for that “lost” email full of information they need.

Have A Checklist For The Day / Week

And finally, make sure that you have a checklist for the day and/or week. When employees know what is expected of them, they tend to perform faster. Plus, if they see an easy task, they may jump on it first so that it is out of the way. Having a checklist that is centralized will also help you to see who is working, and who isn’t, making it easier to have the “necessary” discussions to improve productivity in the background and improving time management throughout your team.

Final Thoughts

Getting the most out of yourself and your team at the office can be difficult, but if you learn what can improve productivity, you can make changes that will benefit yourself and the entire office. Changing a workplace environment, providing more breaks, better equipment, and improved processes won’t be easy, but it will definitely improve morale. If you can’t wave a magic wand and get a few extra hours out of your employees, then you should use these four suggestions. You’ll quickly enjoy the pay off.