Workplace productivity is something everyone wants to increase, but few people know how to make it happen organically. You cannot force productivity on people. When they don’t want to work harder or smarter, they simply won’t. They might make it look like they are, but the bottom line shows they’re not. As a business owner or the person in charge of someone’s business, your future is also on the line. This means you’re spending more time figuring out how to make sure everyone else is productive, and it leaves you with fewer opportunities to do the same. It’s time to learn how to naturally increase workplace productivity.

Require Performance Standards

One way to ensure the people working for you are doing their job correctly and with as much motivation as possible is to ensure you have performance standards in place. Require that your employees go through mandatory drug tests not only for their own safety but for the safety of those you service in the workplace. Even if your employees don’t work with the public, mistakes are made and productivity levels fall short when drug use is a problem. A zero-tolerance policy is a good one to have in an office where you want to promote more productive work.

Handle Workplace Distractions

It’s not just social media and personal calls you need to watch for in the workplace. It’s people who make it difficult for others to work in peace. It’s the workplace bully who makes others nervous, belittles their work, and distracts them with their attitude. It’s the gossip who spends more time wandering the office talking about everyone to everyone and not getting anything done. These are distractions, and they’re the worst kind.

When you encounter someone like this, ask yourself how you can encourage positive change in his or her attitude and performance, or find a way to eliminate the problem. It might take a meeting, but it might take a more drastic measure to get a workplace distraction out of the way.

Use Incentives

Who doesn’t love working for something awesome? While it’s true your employees are in the office working hard for a paycheck, they’ll work even harder for some other incentives. A few great suggestions might be a half-day of work on Fridays for those who are able to produce the best work or results during the week. Perhaps a day off for someone who goes above and beyond, or you could even offer an additional week vacation or a bonus for those who produce the best work and results or profit on an annual basis.

When there is something major on the line, people are far more willing to work hard to be more productive. Everyone wants to be recognized and earn more for their work, and this is one way to ensure that happens.

Be Positive

You could spend your time picking out the things people do wrong at work, or you could spend time recognizing those who do more than their fair share. Positive reinforcement works just as well on adults as it does on children, and people love to be recognized for what they’re doing right. When people go above and beyond at work, recognize their hard work. When they feel the pride you have in them, they’re more likely to work harder.

When people feel appreciated, they put forth a larger effort. Showing appreciation doesn’t have to be a big deal, either. It can be as simple as saying thank you to those who work hard or saying a few short sentences about someone’s effort in the next team meeting.

Be A Good Role Model

The most important thing you can do if you want to increase productivity in the workplace is become a good leader yourself. When you are able to show you can handle constructive criticism, that you also make mistakes, and that you are willing to take responsibility for your actions, others will follow suit. You should demand respect through your respectable behavior rather than your position in the office. When people have a good leader, they work harder.

Workplace productivity is a fickle subject, but it’s not nearly as difficult to promote as you might imagine. You can get people to work harder and more effectively if you’re able to show a good example, and you will only be surprised how well people respond to your positive leadership.

Are you looking to venture down a career path in graphic design? This article will give you 6 great tips to improve your chances of being a successful graphic designer.

1. Spend Time Learning How To Use Basic Design Tools 

The first part of your journey is to learn how to use common and basic tools used by professional graphic designers. There are many resources available online, at libraries or bookstores to help you learn. You may consider taking classes to use Photoshop or Illustrator or pursue a degree in graphics design as they will teach you how to use these tools to their full potential. Many professionals have content on youtube or websites that teach you steps to become better. Try to add your own personal touch to all of your learning work, as this will help you become more creative and will get you used to make your work stand out in a unique way. Save your early work as you are learning to build a base portfolio that you can build and improve on.

2. Create Your Own Website and Portfolio 

Portfolios are a great way to showcase your work to the world of potential clients or employers. Employers or clients are interested in seeing what type of skills you possess, what type of tools you have mastered and if the type of work you do is what they’re looking for. Considering this, it is important that you really do your best to make your portfolio demonstrate what tools you have used for each set and show off your personal touches. You may consider adding in work that you have done while learning and improving your skills as you never know, it could help you out in the long run.

3. Join A Graphic Design Community 

A great way to understand what goes into graphic design is to join and discuss with other people who are also interested in this type of work. Online communities can host a wide variety of tips and topics surrounding graphic design that may help you improve your skills and share your passion for your work. You may also be able to find out about local events that showcase graphic design related work and tools that could help you gain potential work connections.

4. Learn How To Do Specialty Work 

The great part about a graphics design career is that you will always be able to learn how to use new tools and skills. Learning how to make designs for t-shirts, cellphone apps, websites and business cards are some ideas to start with. If you demonstrate to clients or employers that you can work on a variety of platforms, it will encourage them to consider these specialties from you in the future. Specialties will also increase your chances of landing clients or work from people with those particular interests.

5. Ask or Volunteer To Work 

One of the best ways of familiarizing yourself with client and employer work is to dip your toes in the water first. Volunteering and asking to help with graphic design related work, even if you’re inexperienced will help you learn to communicate with future clients or employers in a noncommittal way. You will learn how you work best and what ways you can resolve problems. Understanding how to work around problems with future clients or employers will be an invaluable experience.

6. Start Freelance Work 

After you feel comfortable and confident that you can work through issues with clients, you should start doing freelance work. Freelance work will allow you to get paid while you do jobs for clients or organizations and demonstrates that you have experience working independently to potential employers. Since you are also building your portfolio, usually this type of work does an excellent job of showing your best paid for work and helps immensely when seeking future employment.

Continue to demonstrate your best work after you have landed a great job. Talking to others in your field with more experience than you will help you learn more about the latest tools and techniques. Remember that it takes patience and lots of learning to be a successful graphic designer.