Did you know that 85% of employees aren’t engaged at work, costing their employers over $7 trillion? If lost productivity is keeping you up at night, then you might be wondering, what can a business do to improve its productivity?
Don’t worry because you’re in the right place. Keep reading to learn everything you need to know about how to improve productivity and engage your employees to encourage maximum efficiency.
Benefits of Improving Productivity in the Workplace
According to the Bureau of Labor, America has been able to increase the overall production of goods and services. They’ve done this by focusing on increasing productivity and efficiency over simply working more. As a business owner, it’s important to increase how much you produce without also needing to increase costs through labor or supplies.
The importance of focusing on productivity and efficiency is vital as you grow and scale your business to the next level. Some other examples of benefits you’ll see that might be less tangible include:
- Less stress amongst your workforce
- Rewer distractions and procrastination as people are clear on what to do
- Increased job satisfaction
- More time to focus on other projects and growing your business
As you can see, improving productivity in the workplace will improve more than just your bottom line. Now let’s dive deeper into how you attain improved productivity.
What Can a Business Do to Improve Its Productivity?
Today’s work environment leaves many employers scrambling to get the most from their current workforce. However, you also need to ensure that you keep their mental health in mind to avoid burnout.
If you want to attract and hire top performers in your industry, then you need to provide them with a top-notch working environment. Here are three ways you can improve productivity by maximizing efficiency.
Equip Your Team With the Tools They Need
Especially when it comes to WFH productivity, your remote force needs to feel like they have the tools they need to succeed. This could mean investing in physical infrastructure such as laptops for everyone.
Or you could also invest time and money in creating a cloud-based project and task management system. This will enable everyone can see what is expected of them and where certain projects are in the pipeline.
In addition, if you choose to outsource employment through a VA agency, many agencies will equip their team with the computer system and programs they need to do their job well.
Encourage Employee Development and Learning
In addition to equipping your team with the tools they need, you’ll also see an incredible return on investment when you focus on continuing education and development for your team. This could come in the form of taking a course to better use the equipment they already have.
Or if you’re implementing new equipment or software, you’ll want to ensure you provide adequate training. This is important so everyone gets the most from your new investment.
No one likes change; this is human nature. However, if a new software program could improve productivity, then you need to focus on training everyone to use it properly.
Look Into Virtual Assistance
As you grow your business, you might find it difficult to scale with the staff you currently have. Rather than trying to hire and train new staff, you could instead invest in contracting with remote virtual staff.
Many experts are offering virtual services in exchange for the freedom and flexibility that remote work offers. Just remember, when hiring a virtual assistant, you’ll need virtual assistant insurance. If you work with a virtual assistant agency, they will likely provide insurance for virtual assistants for you.
More Work Productivity Tips
It can be daunting to strive for improved productivity in an organization. To help you, we’ve gathered a few more tips to help you along the way.
Managers say they want their employees to engage in deep work and stay focused; however, they end up setting up systems that negate efficiency. From micromanaging to meetings, there are plenty of ways you can change your habits to improve efficiency.
These habits will ruin motivation quickly, and as seen in the statistic earlier, unengaged employees will ruin productivity.
Avoid Micromanaging
In the beginning, you might have been able to supervise every step in the process. However, as you scale your staff and improve productivity, it won’t behoove you to continue to stay involved at such a close, day-to-day level.
In order to get the most out of your investments in improving productivity, it’s best to ensure that you avoid micromanaging your staff. You’ve provided them with the tools, education, and resources to do their job. Now, it’s time to let them manage their workflow and maximize their productivity.
Avoid Lengthy and Unnecessary Meetings
No one likes long meetings; they interrupt the workday of each employee. As you improve productivity, you’ll find that interruptions to your employee’s workflow will negate any progress made toward maximum efficiency.
Lean into alternative methods for disseminating information, such as short stand-ups or virtual huddles. Additionally, when communicating with your team, consider sending messages within your productivity software program to avoid lengthy and confusing email threads.
With remote work becoming the new normal, you’ll need to set up systems that allow for maximum communication and task management through cloud-based systems.
Scale Your Business With Improved Efficiency
Now you can stop wondering what can a business do to improve its productivity. Use the tips in this article to improve productivity so you can also improve your bottom line without increasing overtime with your employees.
If you’re ready to schedule your appointment to scale your productivity, then click here. We’ve helped business owners just like you with the expert help they need to take their businesses to the next level, and we can help you too.