Every smart business manager wants to get more for less for their SME. However, when it comes to staff productivity and motivation, it’s often all too easy to miss out on quick, easy and cost effective wins. In this article we explore proven ways on squeezing out maximum productivity from your employees in a smart and non invasive way…
Productivity Through Flexibility – According to research conducted by the Kenexa High Performance Institute, companies that foster an ambiance of flexible working tend to have more motivated and productive workers. An in depth report on the research was further published by HR Magazine – most interestingly from a productivity viewpoint, 68% of workers are more likely to under-perform due to stress caused by low workplace flexibility. The research also uncovered 59% of survey participants who felt the workplace was inflexible were planning to change jobs, compared to just 22% who believed their employers facilitated flexible working practices. Ultimately, offering flexible working does not have to cost your company more – good organization is the key.
Set Your Employees Individual And Company Goals – On the whole, personal goals, plans and targets will help motivate your workers and create unambiguous targets for them to claw at. This personal goal setting certainly contributes to individual worker motivation, but to get that little bit extra, try and inscribe the actual company goals and mission statement into the employees psyche too. When your staff feel intrinsically linked to the performance of their company, it can help them go that extra mile.
The 2 Minute Meetings – There’s a fine dividing line with meetings. Daily meetings on one hand can help keep staff on their toes, having to report their achievements and issues on a regular basis. However, meetings that ramble on, or are too frequent and just a matter of formality can chomp away at overall productivity. A nice hybrid is the two minute meeting – for example, at the end of the day schedule a meeting where every staff member talks for two minutes about important work issues. Any red flag issues can then be picked up by the leader on a one-on-one basis while the rest of the team resume with their jobs. Effective, and not an eye roll in sight!
Encourage Ownership & Personal Problem Solving – You’ll remember that old adage, “give a man a fish, feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish for himself, and you feed him for a lifetime”. You’re more likely to have a smarter, motivated and adaptive workforce when you encourage your staff to think for themselves, take ownership of their issues and responsibilities – and ultimately let them create their own solutions. Managers should of course be available to provide constructive insight and to offer the benefit of their experience and wisdom, but they should refrain from micro managing every last problem. Workers by enlarge have professional pride, and when they are recognized for owning and taking down their own issues – they are naturally motivated.
Encourage Workers To Plan Their Daily Schedule – We’re feeling generous today, so here’s another wise old saying on the house. “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.” – Workers who organize themselves effectively will naturally be more productive, and hit their targets more fluently than workers who just turn up every day and hope for the best. SME’s can encourage staff to implement the free Google Calendar app which lets them schedule their work time in as much or little detail as required.
Make Staff Collaboration Easy And Quick – We live in times where technology can be used to improve productivity. Where the occasion merits, make it easy for your employees to collate, collaborate and work together. These days, vast digital and content based projects may exist exclusively in the cloud, and totally free tools such as Google Drive and Evernote can help improve your staff productivity quite emphatically.