Employees are the core of your small business.
Which means if your staff members are feeling happy then their productivity is likely to increase. More than an issue of morale, happiness is exactly what you need for lasting profitability and growth.
So what are you doing to make your workplace a happy place?
Making minor changes to your workplace habits can dramatically improve efficiency and productivity in the workplace. This then allows you to get more quality work done in a shorter span of time. Ideally this helps to reduce the amount of time that your staff spend on unnecessary tasks which hold back productivity and workplace efficiency.
If you’re looking to transform your working space and start delivering optimal results, here are a few tips on improving productivity at the workplace and ensuring that your employees are happy too.
Get Rid of Distractions
What distracts you?
Social media is the primary work motivation and productivity killer affecting Australian businesses. However, implementing a no-phone policy might do more harm than good where morale is concerned. Instead, try to keep your staff focused and engaged while giving them some room to breathe.
Encourage your staff members to turn off their phones, but allow them to take breaks between tasks to check their email, social media feeds and so on. This will ensure that the time spent on their desks is well utilised and not wasted.
Delegate
Delegation comes with a risk element, but increasing individual responsibility is essential in improving morale as well as job satisfaction. You should assign tasks to the most qualified individuals, particularly those who have a proven track record with success in a particular field.
Remember, if you give staff members an opportunity to hone their skills and develop invaluable leadership experience, it will not only be of benefit to your organisation, but will also give your employees a sense of achievement and direction as they develop their careers.
This strategy is used by the team at Search It Local who created separate divisions to increase productivity, saying “by creating small teams with increased autonomy we removed barriers of communication that were not just slowing down productivity, but were causing frustration too. Now our staff feel empowered and motivated and the results are showing.”
Finally, when you give your team a chance to lead you create the conditions for them to upskill and stay within your organisation, rather than leave in search of leadership roles elsewhere.
Be Efficient
You should take a look at how your company is doing and be open to the potential of changing how you operate. Keep in mind it’s important to have both short-term lists and long-term lists which allow you to better prioritise tasks.
Ask yourself questions that require creative solutions. For example, is there a better way that your employees can structure their schedules in order to best achieve their goals and be more productive? These answers may take time but will pay dividends in the end.
Try and give each staff member a plan and encourage them to create a list that allows them to prioritise on their tasks and ensure that they are completed on time.
This will ultimately result in a more efficient workplace where results are delivered on time and to the standard required.
Improve The Working Conditions
Is your workplace set up to deliver results?
A comfortable workplace goes a long way in ensuring efficiency and increased productivity in the short and long-term.
Looking for design tips and tricks? Ensure that the office is in a comfortable temperature as a room that is too hot or cold just distracts people. You should also make sure that both the air conditioning and heating systems are functioning properly when summer or winter comes around.
The benefits of office conditions are reinforced by the design and construction experts at Modern Day Concepts who say “one of the simplest design trends is to ensure adequate lighting. Without the right light employees may suffer from fatigue, eye strains and headaches, all of which will diminish productivity.”
A comfortable office is a productive office.
Provide the Right Tools & Equipment
Ensuring that your staff members have the right tools and equipment available for their tasks is essential for efficient working and on-time results. There is nothing more counterproductive than waiting for documents to print because the printer is not fast enough.
Also, you will want to have high-quality equipment and software as this can make a huge difference in not just how work is done, but how your organisation is perceived by others.
This is also backed up by Business and Life Coach Renee McDonald who says “technological advances in equipment don’t just connect with faster results. When employees are trained and provided with the skillset to use new technology, it can impact their psychological perception of work and encourage them to keep moving forward. Ultimately it is feeling stagnant that can be the most destructive to results.”
Practice Positive Reinforcement
Encouraging, motivating and rewarding your employees goes a long way in improving productivity.
This could be as simple as congratulating a team member when they do an exceptional job and encouraging the rest of the team to take the same route.
Most importantly, ensure you give personal incentives when a team member does a great job. It could be anything from a trophy, an employee of the month award, a free takeout lunch or even a free holiday package.
Recognising and rewarding when an employee goes above and beyond their role puts a sense of fulfilment and also motivates the rest to achieve too.
At the end of the day, they will all work hard and productivity will increase.
Provide Support and Set Realistic Goals
A major issue with many managers in 2019 is a lack of a clear sense of whether or not their staff members are high-performing or not.
Do your employees require an incentive in order to stay motivated and hardworking?
Help them reach these standards by setting realistic goals. Give clear direction to supervisors in order to get assistance with expectations. This will help them have clear goals which eventually increases productivity.
Final Thoughts
While all the above mentioned changes will impact productivity, they all share a common trait – happiness.
Ensure that your staff members are happy and the results will speak for themselves. People who work under stressful conditions tend to be less productive. While a productive employee needs to be happy and vice versa.
Show your employees how much you respect, value and appreciate them on a personal level and enjoy the professional benefits that come with these behaviours.
Use the tips mentioned above to ensure your team works to the best of their ability and enjoy an office that’s happy and productive too.
Got any other suggestions or tips? Let us know in the comments!
Author Bio:
Julian Parsons is an Australian writer and a business administration student living in Sydney. He is passionate about financial data and project management. Julian enjoys photography and when he’s not studying or writing, you’ll find him outdoors capturing shots of nature.
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