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.