One of the biggest challenges in the world of business is how to improve Productivity.

With a recent report revealing that only around half of the time that employees spend working on tasks is actually dedicated to productive work, it seems that many businesses are operating ineffectively. Even worse, they are failing to create the right atmosphere for their teams to focus, with managers citing that their ability to minimize Workplace distractions is only just over 5 out of 10.

If you’re worried about the levels of performance in your own workplace, the good news is that you can draw upon a number of tips and techniques to help motivate your staff and make sure that your business is well-organized and productive. We’ll explore those techniques in a moment, but first, let’s explore some of the reasons why your team may currently be less productive than you’d like.

Common Factors Behind Lack Of Productivity

Here are a couple of the main reasons why workers are failing to churn out productive work and why, in many cases, they are actually starting to hate their jobs.

· Too many distractions. Being bombarded with emails on a daily basis, as well as having to participate in regular meetings, means that employees have less time to spend on actual work. This can lead to feelings of overwhelm and decreased engagement and motivation. Having too many tasks to juggle at once, such as answering emails while simultaneously trying to complete a project, could make it more likely for team members to make organisational mistakes and other potentially costly errors.

· Lack of workplace camaraderie. Companies that fail to create a strong and cohesive workplace culture are more likely to have disengaged and dissatisfied employees. It’s a mistake to underestimate the importance of the social side of work.

· Feeling undervalued. Growing numbers of older and more experienced workers are opting to resign, as they feel that they are overlooked and underappreciated in the workplace. As a result, vital skills and experience are being lost.

As you can see, these are some serious issues to contend with. However, whatever the reasons for your company’s specific productivity struggles, it’s never too late to start making positive changes.

With that aim in mind, let’s find out how you can start improving the levels of organisation and productivity in your company, with the help of changes that will boost employee satisfaction as well as your bottom line.

1. Set Clear Goals

If you feel that one of the factors behind your company’s current productivity issues is a lack of unity, it can be a big help to bring everyone together and outline some clear and simple goals.

These goals should follow the ‘SMART’ principles of being Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Timely, to give your team the best chance of achieving them.

By having clear and achievable targets to aim at, everyone will be on the same page and they will find it easier to be productive.

Of course, it’s not enough to simply set goals; you should also make sure those goals are reviewed on a regular basis. By measuring how much progress you’re all making toward those targets, you can help to kickstart your workplace motivation and bring people together. Workers who feel like they’re actually making concrete achievements are more likely to feel engaged and confident in their roles.

2. Fix Those Troublesome Time-Wasters

As we’ve seen, distractions and time-wasting activities such as frequent meetings are a major roadblock when it comes to productivity. As a result, one of the simplest and most effective ways to make your teams more effective is to cut down on those common time-wasters.

For instance, you can pare down your meeting schedule so you are only calling people away from their desks when it’s strictly necessary. You can also introduce a convenient internal communication tool such as Slack or Asana, so employees aren’t bombarding one another with emails.

It’s also a good idea to implement a goal-tracking program, to make sure that people are staying on task. Procrastination is a serious productivity killer but it’s also incredibly common; in fact, we’ve probably all been guilty of it at one point or another. Having a goal tracker that they have to fill out can help keep your staff on track and make procrastination less of an issue.

Finally, it’s important to review the way that your workplace manages documents, as a lack of organisation can seriously hinder productivity and result in hours of wasted time searching for the right file. Make the most of free and convenient document management tools, such as the PDF compressor tool, which shrinks bulky files down to a more manageable size so they can easily be edited and shared among colleagues.

3. Balance The Workload

When delegating work to your team, it’s important to do your best to ensure that everyone has a similar number of tasks to complete. This prevents some people from becoming overloaded and eventually burning out, while others coast along, growing disengaged in the process.

In other words, it’s important to assign tasks to people who are the best fit for them, or who actively volunteer to take them on, rather than just doling out differing workloads to people according to what their job title is.

4. Boost Your Team’s Spirits

If you’ve ever watched a movie that features a rousing speech, or even just listened to a pre-match pep talk in a football locker room, then you’re already aware of the importance of motivation. Of course, if your own public speaking skills leave a little to be desired, there’s no need to worry! There are a number of effective methods you can use to motivate your team and help them to feel more engaged and satisfied with their work.

For instance, you can take the time to get to know each member of your team on an individual basis, which will help you understand their unique motivations. Knowing what makes every person tick will give you the best chance of finding incentives that will work for your whole team. This will be much more effective than just trying to boost productivity with a one-size-fits-all reward that may not even interest some employees.

You may also want to think about offering some rewards for your team’s hard work and dedication, as well as for individual achievements. These rewards don’t have to be expensive or dramatic, as long as they mean a lot to your staff. So, what are you waiting for? Whether it’s presenting each team member with a basket of fruit or mini muffins, or treating them to a soothing guided meditation or a picnic in a local park, there are so many small but meaningful ways to show your team how much you appreciate them.

This, in turn, is sure to have a positive impact on your productivity levels, because a workforce that feels valued and recognised is a workforce that is more likely to want to keep doing well in the future.

To Sum Up

As you can see, there are a number of sound reasons why your employees may not currently be as productive as you’d wish. But there are also plenty of things you can do to remedy the situation and help to get your team back on track, working together as an engaged and focused whole. By making some simple but strategic changes to the way your workplace operates, you will hopefully see a significant boost in productivity, efficiency, and employee satisfaction in no time.