When it comes to increasing productivity in the office, some companies go above and beyond to get the most out of their employees. Sometimes pushing them far past their point of comfort. However, there are ways to get your employees and yourself to a more productive place without burnout.
In order to help you increase business growth, while still maintaining happy employees, we have put together these tips for increasing productivity in the office.
Working at a Comfortable Pace
Not every human being is created exactly the same. While you should treat all of your employees with respect and equality, you also need to understand that each person works at a different pace. Constantly demanding your team work at a break neck speed, or micro-managing their every move will not be beneficial to you in the long run.
Let’s say you sell small business auto insurance, and you are expecting your employees to add three to five new accounts a day. Some of your employees will reach that goal easily, while others may struggle to get to that number within one day. Perhaps instead of setting rigid goals, you allow for employees to work at their own pace.
It can be difficult to lower expectations. However, it helps to relieve stress off of your employees while they are in the office. You shouldn’t let go of all your standards for your business, but it helps to allow your employees to have a bit more breathing room when it comes to generalized expectations.
Create an Inviting Atmosphere
When it comes to increasing productivity in the office, one of the best routes you can go is to make sure your employees are comfortable. The days of cubicles and rigid dress codes are slowly but surely going out of style. Hybrid offices and more comfortable working environments are becoming more and more popular.
In order to increase productivity, it’s important that your employees feel welcomed and at ease while they work.
Here are a few things successful companies are putting into practice:
- Allowing for personalized work spaces
- Adding plants and sunlight to the office where allowed
- Having specific areas for down time in between projects
- Not having a super strict dress code
- Have open communication with your employees
When employees feel psychologically safe in their working environment, and are mentally at ease, they are more collaborative, innovative, and more productive. By creating an inviting atmosphere, your employees will definitely be happier and more productive during work hours.
Allow for Engagement and Focus
A lot of companies try to strive for teamwork in business through team events and trust building exercises. However, decades of data have shown that the way to build engagement and focus in the office is to be transparent, allow for private workspaces if necessary, and to fully engage with your employees.
All in all, this means allowing yourself and your co-workers to know exactly what they are doing. They can then work together where necessary and have open communication at all times. If you allow for engagement with your employees, you will have more focus and increase productivity.
Keeping Work During Work Hours
In order to find balance, your employees need to have a separate life outside of their work. Office hours should always be office hours. You don’t need to be doing extra work on the weekends or during late evening hours.
This may sound counterintuitive, but it is actually true. Study after study, and report after report has shown that the more down time employees have outside of work, the more productive they are during the work week.
Be certain to maintain the boundaries throughout the weekend, as well as when your employees return to work. That way they feel rested, rejuvenated, and ready to be productive during their work time.
Increasing Productivity in the Office Through These Easy Tips
These helpful tips for increasing productivity in the office will help your business thrive. Try to have a more welcoming working environment and keep strict work hours. Also let your employees work at a comfortable pace and allow for engagement and focus. Put these tips into practice and you’ll increase your productivity in no time.
