Knowing how to be productive/improve office productivity is very important. It enables your employees and the business to get the most within 24 hours that forms a day. Today, most people are not as productive as they wish to be. However, some few changes at the workplace can have drastic impact on the productivity of employees.
Tips on how to improve productivity at the office
Proper organization: Design of an office plays an important role in determining productivity of employees. 70 percent of American offices have open-plan workspaces. This implies that every employee can hear and see the other. In such offices where people interact freely and easily, being productive to the maximum is not easy. As such, one of the best ways of improving productivity in the office it is creating enclosed workspaces for small groups of employees or individual employees.
Use of movable furniture: Cabinets and desks at the office enable employees to work collaboratively or individually. They should be designed in a way that makes them suitable for different workplaces. This enables employees to work in collaboration and efficiently.
Setting alternatives: Working on your desk throughout the day will not improve your productivity. To enhance productivity, it is important that companies create areas where employees can stand, stretch and relax. Kneeling chairs and yoga balls can also offer a better alternative to traditional chairs which do not allow employees to exercise while working. Even if the exercise that employee perform are not strenuous, they can still boost healthier lifestyle and productivity at work.
Proper planning: When employees arrive at the workplace in the morning, it is important that they know what to do throughout the day. This is possible by having goals to be achieved in short and long term.
Promote collaboration: When employees collaborate in important areas, productivity is enhanced. Employees can interact, socialize and brainstorm on how to improve productivity at the work place.
Focusing energy on important matters: Trivial tasks can interfere with productivity of employees. Employees can perform better at work when they have a to-do list. Therefore, employees should have a list of things to do every day and eliminating things that interfere with their performance.
Keep time: Going to work early and being on time when necessary will improve employees’ performance. However, this can only happen if employees are motivated. If you are the employer, do not do things that demoralize employees. Also make the workplace suitable for employees.
Holding meetings: Meetings bring employees in different offices or departments together. This is very important because it ensures that ensures that all employees of a company work as a team towards achieving a common goal.
These are some of the changes that can be done to enhance productivity at the workplace. However, the employer and employees must have a good working relationship. This is very important because discontented employees will not perform to the maximum. In addition, employees should be given incentives to boost their morale.
Use incentives by employers
Some of the commonly used incentives are salary increment, more benefits and improving the working conditions. Employers should offer incentives to employees based on their performance after appraisals and even when performance is down and they want to improve it. Allowing employees to go on vacation as a group and have fun can also enhance productivity at the office.
When employees are pleased by the incentives offered by their employers, they will be more productive and even talk positively about the company. This will improve the image of the company. A company that has a good image is able to recruit new employees with ease and even seal better deal because other businesses trust it. All these work in collaboration improving productivity at the office. Therefore, employers who want to know how to be productive/improve office productivity should not focus on what happens in the office only but also what affect employees outside their working spaces.