Having a productive job is one of the most important things to most adults. But the truth is that having a secure job doesn’t mean being fulfilled when doing it.
And suppose you’re not satisfied with the work you do with your boss or the working environment. In that case, it tends to get in the way of productivity and overall enthusiasm to contribute to the growth of the company or business.
And while employees have a lot to cope with in this matter, managers and company leaders don’t dedicate enough time to contribute and improve the feeling that their employees have when coming to work.
Naturally, not everyone can be pleased and ecstatic when working, but there are steps that you can take to help your employees be more productive, and some of these steps are actually quite easy.
If you’re the leader, then it’s important for you to realize that the productivity of your personnel depends on you as much as it depends on them, which is why you should invest time and energy in working on it.
Here are a few tips. Chances are that positive results will be visible quite quickly.
1. Get to Know Your Staff
This is the foundation of everything. Every person working for you deserves your attention, seeing as you’re the one that’s leading them.
While this is not really possible if you’re working in a big company with hundreds of employees, if you’re running a small business or working with a small team, you should do your best to get closely acquainted with people that work alongside you.
Talking and actually listening to your employees makes a whole world of difference because they won’t feel like cogs in a system but like people that you actually care about as you recognize their humanity.
Get to know more about them, their families, their aspirations, and what drives them. Let them know you want them to reach their full potential with your help.
Not only will this positively affect interpersonal relations, but you will be a better judge of character when it comes to assigning work-related tasks because you’ll better understand the capacities of each team member.
Getting closer to people that work for you will make them feel appreciated and trustworthy, which means that they will want to work harder because they want to be a part of your company’s success.
2. Avoid Burnout with Flexible Working Hours
Too many business owners are still avoiding flexibility when it comes to the time spent in the office, hence the grim 9 to 5 schedule.
Having flexible working hours can do wonders for your employee’s productivity, not to mention that they’ll be able to balance their professional and personal lives better. The crucial ingredient here is trust.
You need to be sure that you can rely on your personnel to get the job done in time and well. If you can’t trust your employees, you really should consider why you hired them in the first place.
If you take a step toward more flexible hours, you must be certain that all that work for you are responsible and will finish their tasks on time. The truth is that people can get a lot more done if they don’t feel the pressure of sitting in a cubicle the whole day.
Flexibility and freedom will always be appreciated.
3. Keep the Communication Afloat
We’ve already mentioned how important it is to get to know your employees, but the communication between you must go both ways. People want to know what is happening in their working environment, and keeping them in the dark will make them feel alienated.
Sometimes, bosses and managers choose to keep those working “under” in the dark concerning things happening in the company, which is not a good way to instill trust. We are curious and always want to keep up to date, especially if it is related to our job, and we may be able to improve the situation.
It is not a matter of sharing personal or confidential details with employees but about keeping them in the loop as much as possible. Besides, you never know where solutions and ideas might come from. And when people know what they’re tackling, they will be more productive and prepared to overcome any challenge that arises.
4. Strive to Make a Distraction-Free Environment
Many people often go to extremes by either allowing everything or becoming tyrant. Having some rules that define how each employee should behave is very important, but make sure that those rules aren’t unreasonable and leave room for normal human behavior.
Having a nice office with a good, calm atmosphere and a lot of light is what makes coming to work that much easier, which is why you should definitely invest in creating a more pleasant environment for your workers, as well as for yourself.
Having a place where people can take a break, like a small lounge well stocked with coffee, healthy snacks, and enough room for relaxing during breaks, will help with better colleague relations and ease the tension of meeting deadlines.
On the other hand, you should give consideration to your BYOD (bring your own devices) policy, as browsing Facebook on a smartphone every couple of minutes will definitely get in the way of productivity, and it can be dangerous for your business’ internet security.
You can do a few things, from having a separate Wi-Fi network for all devices that aren’t in the office inventory to installing a VPN (a virtual private network) that will make logging into social media more difficult and a working environment distraction-free. VPNs like Getflix and many others will not only grant your business more safety, but they will also enable your employees to work remotely without any risk of exposing confidential data to cybercriminals.
With this step, you kill two birds with one stone. You improve your security, and you create a more productive working environment.
5. Incite Collaboration and Inspire Them to Be Better
This doesn’t mean that you should threaten to fire an employee every time they make a mistake because that will create a lot of tension and negative energy that will pile up over time.
Instead, think about how you can inspire them positively so that they can do their work eagerly and will be ready to take on more.
Empowering your staff is one of the greatest boosters of productivity there, and there are several ways to do it.
Assign your most aspiring employees with tasks that will challenge them and improve their performance at the same time and see how they cope with it. Sometimes, if the pressure is too strong, make sure they know you’ve got their back, which will be much more efficient than simply telling them their job’s riding on it.
Acknowledge a person’s accomplishments and how they’ve added to the value of the business.
If you show that you only see the best in them, they will try harder to earn more of your trust, and you will develop a closer relationship with them. So, instead of them working for you, they will work with you, which will make your employees feel valued.
Happy Employees Are Made
Happy employees aren’t hired; they are made. Don’t underestimate just how much impact you’ve got on how your staff perceives their job. Show that you strive to make both yourself and them better in every possible way. Only when they’re sure you’ve got their back and that they’re appreciated will they gladly invest their knowledge and their energy into helping you build a solid business so that all of you can thrive.
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How Can You Help Your Employees Be More Productive?
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