We often come across managers who provide their employees with full creative freedom and flexibility to meet their deadlines.
On the other hand, there are others who micromanage and monitor their employees closely to get the maximum work out of them. They mainly follow the “squeeze ‘em” approach, i.e., squeezing productivity from employees every second.
Naturally, the former approach drives more productivity in employees, which drives more sales in an organization.
Productive employees are a result of many factors – good pay, a favourable work environment, flexible work culture, and so much more. It’s all about motivating and inspiring your team to achieve their full potential and achieve your business goals and objectives.
In this article, we’ve compiled a list of six effective strategies that can help boost employee productivity and bring growth and sustainability to your business.
1. Set up a telephone-based time-tracking system
Time-tracking is an essential factor for employers to understand the productivity levels of their employees. For that, employees are generally required to fill up timesheets on a daily basis, and payroll managers need to validate that data parallelly.
The traditional approach of clocking in time involved filling excel sheets where employees would write their working hours on an excel sheet. This system often leads to ambiguity and false entries by employees, which, honestly, is a mismanaged way of handling payroll.
Thankfully, the concept of telephone timesheets came just in time, bringing a more practical approach to time-tracking.
What is telephone time-trackingTelephone time-tracking allows employees to clock in and out via any phone. The data is then transmitted to a central database via a software, where it can be used for payroll processing and other purposes.
With telephone time tracking, employees can dial a designated number and enter their unique identification code to begin tracking their work hours. They can also use the system to report their work status, such as whether they are on a break or have finished for the day.
Telephone time tracking can be useful for businesses that have a geographically dispersed workforce or need to track employees who work off-site. It can also be beneficial for employees who do not have access to a computer or other electronic devices for time tracking.
2. Invest in a performance management system
Managing employees in an organization is not a cakewalk. The biggest challenge still remains to assess their performance, give feedback, and reward them for their work.
Luckily, an employee performance management system helps you automate most of these people management processes and keep everything aligned. From performance reviews to setting goals and OKRs that align with the company’s vision, an efficient performance management system helps you create agile processes effectively.
Benefits of using a performance management systemBy setting clear goals, providing regular feedback, and tracking progress, an effective performance management system can improve employee productivity.Employees who feel valued and recognized for their contributions are more likely to be engaged in their work.By aligning individual employee goals with overall organizational objectives, a performance management system can help ensure that all employees are working towards the same goals.A performance management system can help ensure that evaluations are based on objective criteria rather than subjective opinions or biases.Employees who receive regular feedback and have opportunities for career development are more likely to stay with their organization.
3. Provide training and development opportunities
One of the best ways to show an employee that you really care about their future is to invest in them. By investing, we mean providing them with resources to upskill and grow in their careers.
When you think about it, it’s a win-win for you as well as your employees. Your employees get to advance their skills and become better versions of themselves, you get more skilled employees, which helps in increasing your revenue and sales.
Steps to provide upskilling opportunities to your employees
Identify training needs: Conduct an assessment of employees’ skills and knowledge to identify areas where training and development are needed. This could include conducting surveys, focus groups, or individual assessments.
Develop a training plan: Based on the identified needs, develop a training plan that outlines the types of training that will be offered, the delivery methods, and the timeline for implementation.
Choose the right delivery methods: Consider a range of delivery methods, including in-person training, online courses, coaching and mentoring, and job shadowing. Choose methods that are most effective for the skills being developed and the learning styles of employees.
Allocate resources: Allocate the necessary resources, including time, budget, and staff, to implement the training plan effectively.
Encourage participation: Encourage employee participation in training and development activities by promoting the benefits, making training opportunities easily accessible, and incentivizing participations
Evaluate effectiveness: Regularly evaluate the effectiveness of training and development activities to ensure they are meeting their objectives and making a positive impact on employees and the organization.
4. Foster a positive work environment
An average person spends about 90,000 hours of their life working in an office. That means an office is typically like a second home to employees. As their employer, it’s your job to make them feel at home by fostering a positive work environment. This is especially helpful in keeping your employees’ well-being in check and making sure they make the most of the resources allocated to them.
How to create a positive work environment
Encourage employees to communicate openly and honestly with their colleagues and managers. This can help build trust, prevent misunderstandings, and foster a positive and supportive workplace culture.Support employees in achieving a healthy work-life balance by providing flexible work arrangements, such as remote work options or flexible schedules.Recognize and appreciate employees for their hard work and contributions. This can be done through verbal praise, bonuses, or other rewards and incentives.Encourage teamwork and collaboration among employees by promoting a sense of shared purpose and goals.Lead by example by demonstrating positive behaviors and attitudes. This can help set the tone for a positive and respectful work environment.
5. Streamline communication within teams
Communication is the key to achieving any goal—be it increasing collaboration within a team, hitting a sales target, or increasing productivity. After all, that’s how teams get along with one another and work effectively on a shared goal or target.
Moreover, effective communication can facilitate learning and development by enabling employees to receive feedback, coaching, and mentoring.
Tips to improve communication in the teamEstablish clear communication channels, such as regular team meetings, email updates, or internal messaging platforms. If needed, invest in a communication platform to ease up the process. Conduct regular meetings to seek updates from employees. These meetings don’t have to be very long—a daily 10-minute walkthrough would suffice.Provide regular feedback to employees, highlighting areas of strength and areas for improvement.Address conflicts early and directly rather than allowing them to fester and potentially harm team communication.Use collaboration tools such as shared calendars, project management software, and virtual whiteboards to enhance team communication.Keep a check on your employees’ well-being, and if needed, conduct one-on-one sessions with them to discuss any issues they might have.
6. Have a smooth hiring and onboarding process
The way you manage your hiring and onboard the selected candidates tells a lot about the kind of boss you’ll be and impacts employee turnover. At least, your employees and the candidates applying for a role in your company judge you based on these factors. This is why it’s critical you put up a strong face and make these processes convenient and memorable for them.
A well-designed hiring and onboarding program can help employees learn the ropes faster, reducing the time it takes for them to become fully productive in their roles. It provides new employees with clear expectations about their roles, responsibilities, and performance metrics, leading to better productivity.
Tips to streamline hiring and onboarding
Use an applicant tracking system: An ATS manages resumes, applications, and candidate information, allowing you to streamline the hiring process.
Use pre-employment assessments: This helps evaluate candidates’ skills, knowledge, and fit for the role, allowing you to make more informed hiring decisions.
Automate onboarding paperwork: Use online forms and e-signatures to automate onboarding paperwork, reducing the time and effort required for new employees to complete necessary forms.
Assign a mentor or buddy: Provide your new employees a proper guidance, and support, and help them acclimate to the company culture and team dynamics.
Key takeaways for managers and team leaders
It’s important to note that boosting employee productivity requires a long-term commitment and ongoing effort from leaders and managers.
By providing employees with the right tools, resources, and incentives, you can motivate and engage your teams. This leads to increased job satisfaction, better performance, and improved sales outcomes.
So, prioritize their well-being, create a positive work culture, and invest in their growth, and you’ll be on your way to building high-performing teams.
Author’s Bio
Deepali is an engineer-turned-freelance writer for B2B SaaS, writing actionable long-form content for marketing, Cybersecurity, and HR-Tech companies. When she’s not writing, she’s engrossed in a cozy murder mystery novel with a cup of hot chocolate!
