How to boost productivity in the workplace

Workplace productivity is an integral part of running a business efficiently.

In 2018, research from the Association of Accounting Technicians found that over the course of a lifetime, the average working Briton would spend 3,515 24-hour days at work with an additional 188 days in overtime.

There’s a general misunderstanding about improving productivity in the workplace. Most believe it involves working long hours. This is far from the case. Productivity is all about working smarter and not longer.

In this piece, we’ll highlight the importance of fostering an environment that promotes teamwork and productivity in the workplace. We’ll also explore its impacts on the workforce and offer some tips on how to boost productivity.

Why is workplace productivity important?

Productivity is the measure of the efficiency of production.

Any successful business aims to make a profit. To achieve that, organisations will need to maximise sales and minimise costs.

That’s where productivity comes in. With it, employees can do as much as possible in as little time as possible.

It affects various elements of a business and when done right can lead to increases in morale, retention, engagement and output. And that leads to greater profits.

There’s also a link between teamwork and productivity in the workplace. When team members work effectively amongst themselves, it means they’re able to gain an understanding of how their role fits in with the objectives of the business.

By working together, your staff can agree on goals and strategic plans, it also means they can work together to develop new ideas, all of which contributes to the productivity of the organisation.

What affects productivity in the workplace?

Various components can affect the productivity of the workforce.

The impact of workplace quality on employees’ productivity is important to consider. The quality of the working environment is an essential part of retaining employees and keeping them on task. It works to promote productivity by ensuring your staff have the tools and equipment necessary to meet their targets.

By addressing the link between the work environment and productivity, you’re able to improve morale, engagement and loyalty to your organisation. Consider investing in competitive pay, benefits, training and development, and company culture.

Your staff perform best under comfortable working conditions, so it’s important to consider various elements of the working space. The temperature, for example, shouldn’t be too hot or too cold—both of which would be distracting. Make sure the heating and cooling systems are in good working condition. All of this can help to create an environment where employees feel comfortable to share ideas as this sets the tone for a productive and fun workplace.

Other areas to consider include:

• Working processes or routines.
• Availability of required equipment.
• The physical environment, including temperature levels.
• Distribution of workload.
• Availability of appropriate training.

Workplace productivity tools

To address some of the issues that affect productivity, such as disengaged or disorganised teams and cluttered filing systems, it’s important to invest in tools that can encourage collaboration and streamline the working process.

Consider the following tools to make the most out of your employee’s time and energy:

• Team working and communication: Slack, Skype, Google Drive, GoToMeeting, Mailchimp, etc.
• Project or time management: Accelo, Trello, Confluence, Jira, Team Foundation Server (TFS), etc.

How to boost productivity in the workplace

Making small changes to your processes and systems will drastically improve the efficiency and productivity levels of your workforce.

Here are some common tips for improving productivity in the workplace and getting the most out of your staff:

• Communication: An effective two-way open communication is essential for maintaining positive working relationships, which affects team effectiveness. By communicating your expectations, you’ll see more engaged and productive employees.
• Wellbeing: Apart from a positive atmosphere in the office, when your staff are happy and healthy they work harder, smarter and get better results. By providing wellbeing support like employee assistance programmes, employees have access to counselling for stress, anxiety, depression and other work-related issues, which may otherwise affect their productivity. You should also consider wellbeing workshops as a way of training managers to recognise the symptoms of stress.
• Feedback: Performance reviews are the perfect opportunity to have a one-on-one conversation with staff members to discuss their progress, development and any training needs. Feedback should go both ways—by encouraging a culture of openness, your employees can inform you of issues with work policies, processes and procedures you can address.
• Flexibility: Allowing flexible schedules has a variety of benefits for you and your staff. As employees are all different, working during hours where they’re at their most productive allows them to do more. It’ll also provide them with a better work-life balance.

Expert Support

If you’d like to find out more information on any of the topics mentioned in this article, please contact Health Assured on 0844 892 2493.