What’s a leader to do when employees are less than focused on getting tasks completed in a timely manner? While those off days do happen, there are ways to help get Employee productivity back on track without blaming anyone.

Is your team looking lackluster and their productivity lacking? Don’t point fingers claiming your employees are slacking because the solution to motivating, maintaining and increasing productivity is in the details.

1. Be an Example, But Don’t Stand in the Way

The title of “Boss” is hard earned. So what if you’re a little late and step back to breathe now and again? You have fifteen years of hard work to your name so take a little time here and there. Everyone understands that.

In reality, the boss who slips into repeat meetings late, slacks or is completely missing in action is noticed. The boss is an example for the rest of the staff. Bad professional habits make you look like a hypocrite when you demand better of your employees yet fail to lead by example yourself. Micromanagement doesn’t do any employee any good either. Let your employees lead themselves in the ways that work best for various departments.

2. Update Ancient Technology and Office “Quirks”

While the exposed brick in your office constructed circa 1910 is charming, leaky plumbing, poor insulation, and Ancient Technology aren’t doing your team any productivity favors. These aren’t office quirks — these are office fails.

Stop penny-pinching and give your employees a decent pension or good working environment by fixing the place up. Hire a contractor to look into leaky plumbing and poor insulation. Ask employees what would make their work lives more productive, such as having two monitors or building a new system that doesn’t resemble MSDOS.

Email and quality internet are considered the most vital technological communications tools among employees. Even part-time workers who deal with sensitive data or work in a customer facing position need a proper company email address with optimal performing internet.

3. Reign in Unstructured Data

   A growing collection of unstructured “dark” data greatly impacts company productivity, and these data files include but aren’t limited to PDFs, spreadsheets, presentations and Word documents. These documents comprise a company’s most sensitive documents. Is your organization protecting this data?

IT departments must make reigning in unstructured data a priority to boost company organization, security and productivity. Roughly 80 percent of an organization’s data is unstructured, and within that is 100 percent of sensitive data. Protocol for proper authorization and access will help a company adhere to compliance regulations. Secure management of data with analyzation and business intelligence tools allow employees to place value on particular data to better inform their workflow.

You must first conduct data mapping to get an idea of where existing data systems and repositories in the network are. Then you may establish proper levels.

4. Allow for a Flexible Work Environment

Certain jobs and tasks may be conducted from anywhere and at any time, as long as the work is done to quality standards and within the deadline. Many studies indicate flexibility at work is linked to lower levels of stress and burnout, as well as better overall health. Why not allow employees to work from home or shift their timetables?

Could some departments go remote? If someone needs a half day, allow them to take a flex day by making up the work from home or at another appropriate time over the course of the following week. A flexible work environment allows employees to keep a stable work-life balance, boosting their workflow efficiency.

Productivity isn’t always the fault of the presumably lazy employee. There are many factors that go into the mix, including an absent or hovering boss, ancient technology and office “quirks,” unstructured and unsecured data and a lack of flexibility to balance work and life.

Talk with your team to get a better understanding of how to improve their work environment and boost productivity. Cut out the frills, unless it’s a great incentive to encourage employee morale. Ditch repetitive meetings and have a pizza party, instead.

Your employees keep the company growing. Sometimes, the key to productivity is in the details.