The employees of a business are a core component of its daily operations. Employees are hired for their ability to use their skills and knowledge to add value to a business by completing assigned tasks.
Employee productivity signifies how much value is being added by a workforce. The quality and quantity of work completed by employees are determined by many factors including working conditions, processes, culture, and equipment.
Operations managers need to focus on employee productivity as it relates to how efficiently staff is using their working hours to complete tasks. Improve employee productivity has positive impacts on the productivity of a business as it provides many benefits such as:
- Better customer service
- Increased sales
- Greater employee engagement
- The development of a positive work culture
- Orders fulfillment can be faster and more efficient
Improving employee productivity in a company is vital for long-term sustainability. Therefore, business owners and managers are advised to create a plan to review and boost employee productivity. The first step in this process should be writing down a checklist, similar to the one in this article, of all the factors to consider related to employee productivity.
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Employee Monitoring Software
For a business to be successful, every business owner expects their employees to work productively on the tasks they are assigned. Some managers utilize employee monitoring software with various tools for tracking employees’ progress, and it is even possible to try a time tracker with screenshots of the tasks they are working on and how long it is taking. Effective real-time monitoring systems provide valuable information about work processes and how they can be modified to enhance employee productivity.
Successfully implementing employee monitoring software has many positive effects on employee productivity, these include:
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- Improved project management; cloud-based software allows managers to organize and manage a project using tools to create schedules, set meetings, track assignments, and allocate work.
- Better time management and tracking; automated time tracking tools help managers and employees ensure tasks are completed before a deadline
- Streamlined communication; a single platform can be used for all team communication, making it easier to share files and communicate quickly regarding specific tasks
- More powerful insights; monitoring software provides managers with real-time information which can be used to spot growing problems or regular errors
- Stronger work relationships; the software helps managers to understand and communicate with employees about required improvements in a friendly and discreet way
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Skills Should Match Tasks
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Assigning tasks to employees who have the right skills and behavior is crucial to ensuring a high level of productivity is achieved and maintained. Employees cannot be great at everything, so before setting a task, consider if the individual is best suited to it.
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Good Communication Is Essential
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Effective communication is key to maximizing workforce productivity. Managers should review existing communication channels to check for any inefficiencies, for example, emails may take up large amounts of the workday, whilst other instant messaging apps may be a faster way to communicate.
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Focused Goals
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The most productive employees are motivated by clearly set aims and goals. These should follow the ‘SMART’ rule by being specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and time-bound. Therefore, managers should try to set tasks that are clearly defined and possible to complete within the set timeframe.
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Reward Employees
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When employees feel appreciated, they are more likely to be dedicated to their job. One way to encourage staff and make them feel more valued is to reward employees who are the most productive. However, when doing so, managers should remember to take into account different employees’ preferences as not everyone enjoys public recognition.
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Develop Employee Skills
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Employees who receive little initial training and have to work out most tasks for themselves diminish the productivity of a business. On the other hand, well-trained employees can finish tasks at a consistent speed and quality.
Competent business managers develop in-depth and meaningful training programs for their staff so that they understand both why and how tasks are done, following a standard operating procedure.
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Feedback Goes Both Ways
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An employee cannot improve their productivity unless they understand they are making errors. It is the job of managers to carry out periodic performance reviews, which can then be referred to and addressed during individual meetings. After which, employees can constructively work towards fixing their mistakes and improving their productivity.
Feedback should not just flow one way, and at the end of performance reviews, managers should encourage employees to also provide feedback. This helps managers to quickly discover problems causing inefficiencies, such as malfunctioning equipment or redundant tasks.
Continuously monitoring and improving employee productivity is an important part of running a successful company. However, there are many things involved in this process, so business owners and managers are advised to follow checklists like the one in this article to find out ways to improve employee productivity.
