Top strategies for improving business productivity

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The success of any business depends on how its employees actively engage in contributing to the overall organizational growth. Business productivity can be maximized by reviewing and optimizing existing workflows to promote high employee engagement. Even if a team is made of experienced and skilled talent, its productivity can only be maximized through the implementation of practical employee engagement strategies. 

High employee engagement: The key to enhancing business productivity 

A recent study by GoRemotelyshows that engaged employees are more productive, resulting in a 21% increase in profits.  Thus, it is important to ensure that employees are actively invested in the projects assigned to them. Managers handling remote or hybrid teams face the biggest challenge in developing a committed workforce. In such environments especially trust and accountability are vital in building social cohesion amongst the distributed workforce.  

10 Effective ways to improve business productivity 

Here are 10 proven strategies to increase business productivity: 

Leverage latest technologies and office automation 

In today’s competitive business scenario, automation is vital for organizations to increase work efficiency. Smart offices are gaining momentum as companies opt for the best available tech to improve their functionality.  Choosing the right technologies to automate business operations can also save cost and time in the long run. Benefits include, 

  • Help in organizing a large volume of spend information and reducing time spent in searching 

Assign tasks and set achievable goals  

Transparency is key when it comes to driving a team of skilled employees towards a common goal. To achieve this, the manager must effectively communicate the values that the company and its workflows. This gives employees a clear idea of how their roles are important in achieving the goals. 

Task setting for each working day is an important managerial practice that is essential to enhance employee productivity and to avoid conflict among team members. This also sets expectations of the target that needs to be achieved every day.  

Reminders are a smart way to ensure that tasks discussed in meetings don’t fall through the cracks. Setting reminders for every task enables the timely completion of work.  

Implement employee burnout prevention strategies 

In 2019, a Harvard Business Review study stated that ‘Burnout must not be classified as an individual problem, rather, it is a problem with the work environment of the company’.  Studies reveal several reasons why employees experience burnout: 

  • Work overload, constant multi-tasking and stringent deadlines 
  • Lack of support from managers and excessive micromanagement 

All these factors contribute to a decline in employee work performance and negatively impact business productivity. To mitigate this, the manager must keep an eye on the quality of the work environment that their staff is subject to.  Leaders should ensure that they are approachable so there is a two-way dialogue with their team at all times. Similarly, managers need to maintain a non-biased, impartial and considerate approach to all types of employees to understand their needs and promote their physical and mental well-being.  

Positive reinforcement and recognition strategies to boost employee morale 

Improved business productivity is an outcome of a motivated workforce working towards a common goal with a sense of commitment.  Employees who are satisfied with their workplace are bound to be highly productive and loyal to the organization. Managers must be mindful of recognizing teams’ contributions and implement policies of positive reinforcement.  

  • Positive reinforcement in the workplace is the process of encouraging the continuity of positive action or behaviour of an employee with recognition or appreciation. To improve business productivity, it is important to recognize the value of employee contributions to the business outcome. 
  • Rewards and recognition need not necessarily be financial incentives – It can also come in the form of simple gestures of appreciation like an ‘Employee of the Month’ award or a ‘Good job’ note left on the table. Such initiatives make employees feel valued and motivate them to improve their work performance. 
  • Implement rewards that are creative and competitive – Organizations must provide rewards that genuinely motivate and add value to the employee’s quality of life. Healthy competition among team members can be encouraged to bring out their creativity. For example, incentives like gift cards or a team dinner after a successful project can encourage employees to continue to perform at high levels.  

Limit travel and lengthy meetings to reduce employee fatigue  

With the use of virtual communication and collaboration technologies, companies can significantly curb corporate trips and employee travel time.  

In today’s remote working scenario, meeting fatigue is also a common occurrence that affects business productivity. Employees find it difficult to focus on important tasks if forced to participate in long and boring meetings. Managers must hold meetings only when it is an absolute necessity and meetings must be completed within a set timeframe.  

Formulate strategies to avoid workplace distractions 

With several employees working remotely, business productivity can be adversely affected if there are no monitoring strategies to avoid procrastination and idle time during work hours. Managers must devise a strategy to ensure that even a team of remote employees is driven to work diligently. This should include:  

  • A clear plan of tasks to be completed on a daily basis 

Review existing workflow systems and patterns 

Continuous review and improvement of existing systems are crucial to improving business productivity. Organizations that are quick to adapt to changing market situations can make space for better productivity, innovation and creativity among employees. Productivity is not about getting maximum work done in the least time, rather, it is the measure of quality work effectively done by a motivated and engaged workforce. 

 Finding solutions to workflow-related problems, upgrading existing technologies and implementing a flexible work culture can directly contribute to enhancing business productivity. Regular upgrades of every business aspect – be it technologies or HR policies keep businesses thriving in an unprecedented crisis like the ongoing pandemic.  

Encourage off-work interactions 

The efficiency of a business organization is impacted by the quality of workplace relationships. Fostering open and healthy interpersonal interactions in the workplace is key to empowering employees to work in cohesion with each other.  Team building activities encourage employees to interact outside of work. However, in a virtual setup, organizations need to make a conscious effort to build social relationships among employees.  

Analyze the dynamics of diverse groups of people in the organization and bridge generational or hierarchical gaps to bring about effective communication.  

Promoting social interactions in the workplace has many benefits: 

  • An occasional exchange of pleasantries and team-building activities can go a long way into opening up communication channels in the workplace. 
  • Open communication amongst employees or even between the employees and management makes it easier to bring problems and work-related issues to the forefront at the earliest stage without escalating to conflict. 

Provide role-specific training  

Employees should be given a clear idea of what their responsibilities entail. The process of improving employee efficiency begins from the time of onboarding and should continue throughout their tenure in the organization. Proper role-based training is important to make employees understand the work culture, workflow processes, and skill development.   

Workplace ambience and atmosphere 

Several studies have revealed that a positive working environment is directly linked with employee productivity. Creating an environment that is conducive and empowering motivates employees to give better outcomes. For example, many offices have an open-space setup to encourage easy team communication and collaboration amongst employees. Creating physical spaces which promote positivity and interaction can accelerate business productivity.  

In conclusion, business productivity is not about how much work gets done within less time, rather, it is a holistic approach of high employee engagement, the right use of collaboration technologies, and the implementation of proactive management strategies. Thus, improving employee experience should be an important focus of organizations that want to raise their business productivity.