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Originally Posted On: https://www.ebillity.com/post/11-ways-to-improve-your-teams-productivity-and-performance/
It is easy to know if your team is not performing up to par. They are often absent or late, the quality of their work drops, they miss deadlines, and they lack energy and motivation. When you see these signs, you may need to improve employee performance.
Bear in mind that performance is different from productivity. Your team could be accomplishing their tasks and meeting their goals (performing), but it takes more time, effort, or staff to get them done (unproductive). You want them to work efficiently so they can be more productive in meeting their performance goals.
So, how do you do that? Below are 11 strategies to improve employee productivity and work performance.
Strategies to Boost Employee Performance
1. Set Goals and KPIs
Your employees should know if they are performing well. This means you should set and communicate what their goals are. And you need to explain how their performance will be measured so that expectations are clear.
This is where key performance indicators (KPIs) come in. Some KPIs that measure performance or productivity include revenue per employee, profit per employee, average task completion rate, and overtime per employee.
2. Invest in L&D
Do you want your team to be better at their jobs? Invest in their learning and development (L&D). By enhancing their skills, their work performance improves. And the more they know, the more they can do. As a result, their productivity increases as well.
Training should not only be on skills directly related to their job description but also on the way they work. Equip your employees with soft skills such as time management, communication, and project management so they can work more efficiently.
3. Ensure Open Communication
Communication is critical in setting objectives and giving instructions to ensure your team understands their expectations. You need to keep them in the loop to avoid misunderstanding and duplication of work. And you should provide regular feedback on how they are doing.
Remember that communication is two-way. Your employees should be able to offer comments and suggestions on how to improve the way things are done. And they must feel safe and valued to be open and honest with their concerns and feedback.
4. Minimize Disruptions
Unfortunately, too much communication can be disruptive. You may be holding too many meetings, sending too many emails and chat messages, and requiring too many reports. You want to avoid busy work and give your team time for deep, focused work to get their real job done.
Keep your meetings few, short, and to the point, including only those directly involved. Do the same with emails, chats, and reports.
5. Improve Workplace Conditions
The physical environment of your office affects employee productivity and performance. Lighting, temperature, colors, and ergonomics all play a part in helping your employees work comfortably and even in setting their moods.
Workplace conditions are not just physical. Your policies on breaks, leaves, and downtime also impact employee engagement and productivity. You should allow a level of freedom for your team to relax, socialize, and recharge.
6. Offer Flexible Work Arrangements
Employees today expect more flexibility on where, when, and how they work. They have experienced during the pandemic that they can be as productive, if not more so if they work at home or during hours that are best for them. Find the right balance so your team enjoys workplace flexibility and meets their productivity and performance goals.
7. Avoid Micromanaging
Hovering over your employees, literally or figuratively, is very demotivating. It shows a lack of trust and confidence in their ability to do their job well. If you are clear with your expectations and requirements and your people are trained well to do their jobs, you should take a step back and delegate. Giving your team autonomy is crucial in making them engaged, productive, and motivated.
You should also allow them to make mistakes that they can learn from. Otherwise, they will not take risks, they won’t take initiative, and they will always be waiting on you to tell them what to do.
8. Offer Incentives and Recognition
Employees often leave because they are not recognized for their contributions and do not feel seen or valued. Having an employee recognition program institutionalizes a culture of recognizing and rewarding employees. It can be as simple as acknowledging their excellent work publicly during meetings and as elaborate as giving tiered incentives and running an annual awarding event.
9. Encourage Teamwork
Your employees can increase their productivity and improve their performance if they work as a team. Teamwork allows you to distribute tasks to people best suited for them and those with more bandwidth. It makes the process more efficient.
Teamwork also means collaborating to arrive at the best, fastest solution. Another way to help your team is to provide support, whether it’s giving access to more resources or removing bottlenecks in your organization.
10. Use Automation and Tools
Free up your team’s time by deploying workplace automation using software that eliminates manual processes. A lot of low-value, repetitive tasks can be automated. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is increasingly becoming an essential tool in increasing efficiency, accuracy, and productivity.
Technology allows people to focus on high-value tasks that cannot be automated, such as strategy, creative work, and critical thinking. By no longer doing boring, mundane activities, your team becomes more engaged and happier at work.
11. Help With Time Management
Your employees can be more productive if they can track their time. It helps them identify areas for improvement. Setting strict deadlines also is an excellent way to battle inertia and procrastination. Often, people push themselves to get things done to meet deadlines.
You can also help your team become more productive by training them on time blocking, prioritizing, and other time management techniques.
Time Tracker by eBillity is an easy and efficient employee time tracking software that can help manage employee time and activities and improve productivity. Get a free trial today.
