Employee Productivity: 5 Things You Need To Know

Posted on Dec 26 2013 - 9:27pm by Carrie Wynne

Productivity

How will I get the most productivity out of my employees for the least amount of money?  That is the question most business owners and managers are faced with today and who can blame them?  We are living in very competitive times and the landscape of business culture has changed.

Here are 5 things you need to know: 

“People leave managers, not companies”

Brian Tracy has quoted, “Become the kind of leader that people would follow voluntarily; even if you had no title or position.”  Outstanding leaders will go out of their way to boost the self-esteem of their personnel. Why?  When people believe in themselves they can accomplish great things.  I once worked in a small company where the Owner was a tyrant.  His motto was “I may not always be right but I’m neverwrong”.  He was constantly flying into a rage and bashing his employees often pitting one employee against another.  He was a perfect example of what NOT to do when trying to motivate people.  He would look for deficiencies in your work and gladly point them out to you.  I watched him single handily alienate his entire staff.  I could read people’s minds.  “I don’t want to work hard for you. I don’t even like you.”  Through his words and actions he proved he didn’t value nor appreciate the hard working contributions from even his most productive employees.  If you want a productive work force you better have good leadership skills in place.

Time is money

Employees can only be productive if they know where the team is heading and communicating is the key.  In saying that, you ask anyone in the corporate culture what they think about meetings and most will say they are a complete waste of valuable time.  If you have to call a meeting set an agenda.  Thanks to teleconferencing and online meetings you can set them up online and eliminate travel costs.  Here is an excellent infographic developed by InterCall that depicts how much time and money is wasted in traffic.  Let everyone know what will be discussed in advance and stick to the time frame allotted.

Hire slowly and train properly 

A company is only as good as its employees.  Lack of vision and unclear company goals result in disorganization and wasted effort.  Investing in training and hiring good employees will set you up for the best possible outcome.  If you didn’t carefully select the right person for the job it’s unlikely they will perform well.  If you don’t provide the proper training and support your employee may start to waiver on their original commitment and you’re paying an employee who doesn’t want to be there and that is never a good thing.

Employee morale is so important when it comes to productivity

Nothing zaps productivity more than a toxic employee. I’m a firm believer in connecting with your employees on a weekly basis.  Companies without accountability allow these individuals to destroy company energy and morale.Checking in holds them accountable for their time and helps to uncover any potential misunderstandings and provide support.  Obtaining feedback is the cornerstone to any successful endeavor.  You can be forward and direct with your feedback as long as you sandwich it between two positive glow points.  ”Here’s what you do really well and here are a few areas I’d like you to work on.”

Get comfortable using new technology

Lack of technology and innovation has forced many companies right out of business. I’ve heard managers say, we’ve always done it this way.  Can you feel how limiting that is? Success in the past doesn’t equal success in the future.  We must consider adopting the new technology available to us. Workforce management companies like Advance Systems makes a perfect fit here. If you’re still filing away papers in cabinets and using a postal service for marketing and yellow pages for advertising you are sadly missing the boat.  Wasting time, effort and money doing things the “old” way will only cause more grief down the road when you do try and catch up.   Surround yourself with people who will take you higher. 

Photo Credit/Source: Wikipedia/Evil saltine

About the Author

Carrie Wynne is the author of 10 Ways to be Deliriously Happy – How to Live an Inspired Life. She conducts personal development workshops based on the principles in her book showing others how to connect to the power within themselves and develop mental strategies to create an incredible life. As a professional sales consultant she also offers training, coaching, and sales seminars. Connect with Carrie on Google+, Twitter and LinkedIn.