It is safe to say that almost all businesses want to improve their employee productivity. As difficult as it may seem, creating a workplace that is filled with happy and productive people is certainly not as challenging as you might think. Employees with a positive mind frame are far more likely to generate new ideas and solutions. Furthermore, they’re more efficient at their job. Here are a few tips that you can implement to increase the level of employee productivity within your team:

1.  Offer your team feedback

A really effective way to keep your employees engaged is by providing meaningful feedback about their work. Be conscious to remain thoughtful and ensure it is constructive feedback that encourages them, and not blatant criticism that leaves them feeling flat. It is important your team members know what they are doing right and what they could improve for next time. Positive encouragement helps the employees to know what is required and also inspire them to strive for better. You must deliver it objectively and fairly to avoid any repercussions if they are left feeling upset or inadequate.

2. Respect

Respect can be a very simple, yet powerful motivator. Of course, respect should only be given when it is earned. However, respecting your employees and treating them equally should see them committing to more work. It can play a very crucial role in fostering employee productivity because, if someone knows they are respected within the workplace they will strive to maintain that respect and work to a high standard.

3. Training Across All Levels

Employee productivity is almost always boosted with the proper training. Compulsory training should be implemented for all levels of employees to ensure the entire team know what is required from them. Be sure to provide it to the entry-level staffs and not just the higher management. The younger employees often need it the most to assist in their personal and professional development and consistent training across the board will be the perfect tool to keeping your business at the highest standard.

4. Set Goals

People will often work to the best of their potential when trying to reach a specific goal or challenge. Get all of your employees to sit down and write down 2-3 work-related goals for the year (it could be a promotion or hitting a PB for a KPI). Once they have decided, ask them what do they need to be doing each day to reach these goals. It is important that the goals remain easily definable to help the employee outline exactly what resources they might need and also express an achievable deadline. It is very rewarding to accomplish a set goal before or on the deadline and will certainly leave the employee feeling productive. The setting and reaching of goals daily tends to offer a sense of purpose.

5. Face-To-Face Time

In a world consumed by digital devices, going the extra mile to provide face-to-face contact will be worth the effort. Too often we find ourselves engrossed in our phones and laptops responding to emails, text messages and calls. This digital reliance is leaving us increasingly isolated by replacing the normal face-to-face contact. Without personal contact with your employees, they might be left feeling removed from the company identity and sometimes may even lose sight of their purpose. Be a leader, walk around the office and check up on how your team is going. Ensure you remain approachable so that staff can come to you if they see you wandering around the office. If you have a large business with multiple levels, get other members of management to interact face-to-face with their area of people. This will keep your employees engaged and hopefully ensure they aren’t getting square eyes from looking at too many screens!

6. Offer A Flexible Work Schedule

Allow your employees to comfortably dictate their work hours, as the common 9-5-office culture is no longer applicable for many people. Obviously, you still expect your team to work their designated weekly hours and meet their deadlines, however, they shouldn’t have to be strapped to their office to do it. By enabling your staff members to create a flexible work schedule to suit themselves and the company, it displays you respect their work-life balance and trust they will get the job done. The schedule must be discussed between all team members to ensure that it is a mutually beneficial decision. The options can vary for where they work, when they work or the hours they work, as everyone has a different approach to being productive.

Employee productivity matters, which is why it is your responsibility to try and keep them engaged. There are numerous things you can implement to increase your employees productivity. If you can use a few or even all of the above suggestions you will certainly be on the road to a more productive team!