Productivity is the key to boosting the fortunes of any organisation – when an organisation is highly productive, it often leads to success. Increased productivity can translate into good customer service and improve employee motivation and morale, creating a happy working environment.
As the saying goes, it’s not the number of hours that employees put into work that matters, but instead the amount of work they put into those hours. But it can be hard to judge just how much of a workday is spent productively. Findings from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), as reported by The Telegraph, show that the average German worker produces more in four days than a British equivalent does in five.
With the Government aiming to improve the national workforce’s productivity through investment, it is important that UK businesses follow suit. Here are five ways you can increase employee productivity:
Encouraging autonomy
Autonomy comes in many forms, from delegating tasks and responsibilities to allowing workers to operate in their own way. It can feel risky to let go of your control, but by giving employees increased responsibility, you can empower them to gain skills and leadership experience. Avoiding the temptation to micro-manage motivates employees to be more productive with their work, proving their skills and capabilities.
Allowing employees to take ownership over their time and resources increases productivity and job satisfaction. This in turn leads to other positive outcomes for your business such as employee loyalty and commitment, as workers hold a greater sense of value.
Offer flexible working conditions
Workplace flexibility is becoming an increasingly widespread trend among staff, with 77% of UK workers stating it is important to them. Flexible working gives employees freedom that enables them to develop confidence in their time management skills. Organisations also benefit from flexible working as staff engagement and performance is increased, maximising productivity.
However, to implement flexible working among your employees, it is necessary that the right tools are in place. Whether working from home or on the go, employees need access wherever they are to get their job done.
A cloud-hosted phone system like Gamma Horizon allows flexible working to become a reality by combining fixed and mobile telephony. Employees can manage their calls easily and efficiently, whenever and wherever they are, with features to ensure they never miss a call. This enables staff to be productive no matter their working environment.
Providing the right training
Investing in new technology means that employees must be educated on how to use it. Instead of giving workers zero guidance on new technology and systems, it is important to invest in training your employees, ideally before such systems are implemented. This allows for more efficiencies, as employees will develop additional skills enabling them to do their jobs better, meaning so much time won’t be spent correcting mistakes in the future.
Support your workforce with training and your organisation will benefit in the long run, as your employees will continue to develop additional skills that improve their productivity.
Improving workplace systems
There’s nothing more counterproductive than employees spending time on issues that could be resolved with technology. Introducing the right technology systems into your business allows employees to work on more meaningful tasks.
Cloud technology can have precisely this effect. Not only do cloud services allow you to access your network at anytime, anywhere, but their built-in security and software updates eliminate the need for maintenance by IT staff, who can therefore focus their time on business-centric activities.
Communication is key
Communication between managers and their employees is key to maintaining relationships and succeeding. By clearly communicating expectations and responsibilities, your employees will feel more engaged, focused and productive.
Additionally, it is important that your employees are provided with the right tools to ensure they can stay connected and communicate. With Gamma Mobile, for instance, businesses can take advantages of features such as access to reliable mobile data and call twinning. Features like this improve communication and productivity because you can be reached wherever you are, no matter what device you are on, ensuring you stay connected.
