How Can You Improve Workforce Productivity?

If you’ve found concerning trends in your business’ output, you might be asking “how can you improve workforce productivity?”.

Good question! How can you do that? The easy and most succinct answer is to start using Operandio, a dedicated software solution that helps you enhance productivity by connecting you and every employee to all parts of your business.

However, the full answer as to how is a little more nuanced, and this article is going to get into that. 

How do you define this kind of productivity?

Before you can enhance productivity, you first need to define it. Workforce productivity defines the output of your business in a specific period of time. If your business is consistently meeting its objectives, it’s typically a sign that your productivity is solid.

However, if your business is consistently failing to meet objectives, it’s best that you start to put contingencies in place to enhance employees’ productivity. That is where this article and Operandio can help.  

What are the steps to improving productivity (and how can Operandio help)?

Improving employees’ productivity is not about doing a single thing and calling it a day. Because there are multiple factors that affect employees’ productivity, there are multiple steps you usually have to take if you want to effectively enhance employees’ productivity.

Below, we’ve listed 7 of the most common steps a business should take in order to enhance employees’ productivity.

1. Review how you’re delegating tasks

If you are noticing a drop in your employees’ productivity, a great place to start looking is your work delegation. There are many mistakes one can make while delegating, such as;

• Not trusting an employee enough to give them work without micromanaging
• Not matching tasks with the skill sets of an employee in mind
• Assigning too many or too few tasks to a single employee
• Not assigning tasks that allow an employee to learn new techniques, etc.

Like with any business decision, you have to be aware of the broader impact that your decision will have. Work delegation, when done correctly, gives every employee an opportunity to shine. That’s why Operandio gives you the functionality to delegate tasks and then observe how they’re completed, so you know you’re making the right decision and improving productivity.

2. Ensure your communication is effective

Any business owner worth their salt knows how important effective communication is. If there is a drop in productivity, it could be because both you and your team don’t have the infrastructure in place for efficient communication. That’s why Operandio has communication tools to make sure you are connected to every employee (and vice versa) at all times.

3. Set clear, achievable goals

It’s hard for an employee to maintain productivity if they’re working towards goals that are obtuse and not actionable. With Operandio, you can set tasks that are not only clear and concise, but they can be viewed and accessed at any time by any employee in case there is ever any doubt. If necessary, any employee can easily reach out to you for clarification at any time.

4. Make sure your employees are recognised for their hard work

Employees are people too, and recognising their hard work means more than just ensuring they are paid in full and on time. If an employee is going above and beyond without feeling like they’re being recognised, their productivity will likely drop as a result. With Operandio, you can track what tasks every employee completes and deliver feedback wherever necessary.

5. Automate all unnecessary tasks

Nothing lowers productivity like grunt work. If you delegate tasks to an employee that are perceived as menial or unnecessary, don’t be surprised when this has a cumulative effect on their productivity. Technology gives you the ability to automate many menial tasks, and it is your responsibility as a business owner to use that to your advantage. Operandio offers many opportunities for work automation, all you need to do is adapt it to your business.

6. Give your employees opportunities to learn and grow

Careers are a fluid thing. It’s rare that someone will start a new job and never want to try anything new again. If an employee feels as though they are stuck in a rut, they won’t be incentivised to do more than the bare minimum (or worse) in terms of productivity. The solution? Get Operandio, update your knowledge base to include a wide variety of tasks, and let every employee operate outside their jurisdiction from time to time using the knowledge base for reference. Your employee will gain new insight, and you’ll gain a more skilled employee with higher productivity to boot.

7. Provide opportunities to your employees for working remotely

Sometimes, the office can be a bit of a drag. If your employees’ is being unproductive, it could be because they’re looking for a break from their desk and their cubicle. Maybe an employee is sick, but still able and looking to work. If you have the infrastructure in place for employees to work from home, then you can accommodate them, which will incentivise them to maintain as much productivity as possible. Operandio helps your employees maintain productivity even when working from home.

How can I get Operandio to improve my employees’ productivity?

If you want to know how to use Operandio to improve employees’ productivity, all you need to do is sign up. Request a demo of Operandio today.