Peter Drucker, the “father of modern management,” wrote an article about how to keep employee productivity high, asserting that this issue would dominate the Time management agenda for several decades. He claimed that productivity is the ultimate determinant of a company’s competitiveness, a viewpoint that has resonated widely in management circles. This logic was subsequently adopted by other management gurus and is now often exemplified in modern recognition strategies like the distribution of crystal awards to boost morale and productivity. Reflecting on practices from 100 years ago, when workplaces harbored deliberate inefficiencies that lowered productivity, today’s environments aim for optimization and employee engagement.
Flexible Schedules Increase Employee Productivity
In The Way We Work: How to Increase Employee Productivity by Giving Your Workers Flexibility at Work, author Tony Schwartz suggests that the best way to boost employee productivity is to give them the freedom to set their own schedules. The author recommends that people work intensively but take frequent renewal breaks, allowing employees to work when they feel the most productive. This is a win-win for both sides, as flexible schedules can prevent employees from feeling burnt out and allow them to avoid rush-hour traffic.
The standard workday leaves little room for unexpected events. When you punch in at 9 a.m., your employees may have a feverish child at home. Or they may have a bad night’s sleep. Flexible schedules give your employees the opportunity to come in later or stay home late when they’re sick. The best communication and executive excellence occur when you’re in the same room as your employees. Flexible schedules also make it possible for employees to handle personal obligations outside of work.
Autonomy Motivates Employees
Whether you’re running a small business or a large corporation, autonomy is a key element to keep employee productivity high. Studies have shown that people who have more autonomy are less likely to adopt the “this isn’t my job” attitude and instead take the initiative. This resourcefulness, in turn, helps improve company performance.
According to a Cornell University study, small businesses with high employee autonomy grow four times faster than those without it. Gucci CEO Robert Polet cites Unilever PLC for fostering his leadership skills.
Autonomy at work is important for several reasons. Not only does it increase employee motivation, and keep employee productivity high, but it also increases management time. Too much micromanagement can cause workers to lose productivity. This is because autonomy encourages independent thought, and problem-solving, as well as productive teamwork.
Furthermore, it encourages employees to focus on their work and not on their boss’s needs. For both of these reasons, autonomy is an essential component of employee motivation and retention.
Financial Compensation
Paying good salaries and bonuses may retain your employees and make them realize they are nt he right place to invest their time and life. To make sure you your employees on time and that all the bonuses have been applied, you can outsource the payments to a Global PEO company able to help you with payroll administration and taxes.
The most common bonuses paid by companies are the performance bonuses but you can also use retention bonus to make sure the money is not the reason he would leave..
Trust Motivates Employees
One of the most important things to consider when it comes to employee productivity is how much trust employees feel. Employees feel more empowered and motivated when they know their managers are there to support them. It’s also crucial to have regular one-on-one meetings with workers to understand their goals, career development needs, and performance issues. If your employees feel that you trust them and are genuinely interested in their progress, they are more likely to take ownership of their roles.
To create a culture of trust among employees, managers must be consistent and transparent with their promises and actions. Employees often don’t differentiate between promises made by their managers and promises made by the company. In such a climate, losing trust in one manager can lead to a lack of trust in the entire organization. This is especially true when there are multiple promises. If employees believe in one manager, they will have trust in the entire organization.
Automation Reduces Friction in the Workplace
Today’s technology has made life easier for employees, but workplace friction can impact employee happiness and productivity. Non-intuitive interfaces lead to frustration and abandonment. Automation reduces workplace friction, reducing the stress and frustration employees feel every day. Fortunately, automation can also reduce costs associated with human error. Listed below are some of the benefits of automation for your company.
Despite the benefits of automation, there are many obstacles to implementing it in your business. The biggest obstacle to successful adoption is friction. The support solution should be adaptable to the specific needs of employees and must be expensive to deploy and use. If the solution is not adopted by the staff, it can affect the entire business, creating a chain reaction effect that has far-reaching impacts. Thankfully, recent outbreaks of the COVID-19 virus have forced many companies to go on evolution mode and get the right solutions fast.
Micromanagement Destroys Employee Productivity
When done improperly, micromanagement can damage the efficiency of employees and hamper productivity. Managers who are micromanagers fail to identify their own strengths and delegate tasks to their subordinates. The result is slow and ineffective execution. Moreover, micromanagers fail to build a trusting relationship with their subordinates. Micromanagement is not only bad for morale, but it can also result in the demise of a company.
Conclusion
In addition to demotivating employees, micromanagers also reduce employee morale. One study has found that 59 percent of employees have experienced working for a micromanager and that their morale and productivity were negatively affected. In addition, employee turnover is a major problem, as replacing one employee costs the company up to 33 percent of their annual salary. Therefore, micromanagement has many negative effects on a company’s bottom line.
