The first rule of business is that success depends on productivity. But how do you sustain consistently high levels of motivation and output? We’ve put together 5 strategies that are sure to pump up the productivity levels in your business – just keep reading to find out more.
1. Automate or outsource
Ensuring high productivity is about managing your human resources smartly. Ideally, you’ll only have salaried staff where there’s a consistent and ongoing operational need. Precisely define the job descriptions of your permanent workers. That way, you’ll never have to deal with employees twiddling their thumbs for lack of things to do.
For routinized or sporadic work, you need to automate or outsource. By automation, we mean using computerised systems to perform the duties a human usually would. When it comes to handling accounting firms, for example, you’ll find many effective practice management software for accounting firms that are cost-effective and work a treat. By outsourcing, we mean delegating specialized tasks to expert contractors, recruited on an ad-hoc basis.
2. Implement productivity tools
Digital apps are a fantastic way to maximise productivity within your business. For daily scheduling, Outlook Calendar is a great option. For any group-messaging needs, make sure to download the Slack app. Apps such as RoundPie are brilliant for helping your keep track of how much time you are spending on your tasks, so you can note which projects are taking up the most of your time and reprioritise accordingly.
3. Put your employees’ productivity first
Although it’s all well and good to promote company-wide productivity, you’ve got to focus on the individual, too. Employees need to feel as if their boss cares about their unique achievements and the conditions needed to get there. Once they do, they’ll hit more milestones than ever before.
You might consider organising a meeting with each new worker to discuss the kinds of tasks they’d like to be delegated, and the vocational or training goals they’d like to tick off during their time in your company. Would meeting-free days be useful for them? Arrange a company-wide conference so that your team can discuss their current successes and struggles and stimulate productivity.
4. Reward “intrapreneurship”
You’ve heard about entrepreneurship, but what about intrapreneurship? Intrapreneurship refers to the act of thinking like an entrepreneur while working within a larger organisation.
Show your employees that you value their entrepreneurial thinking by encouraging innovation on the office floor. Have brainstorming sessions in which your employees can freely air their best ideas. Then, consider instituting the best of those ideas in your business operations.
For many employees, seeing their idea become a reality at the top-level will be reward enough. Want to incentivize intrapreneurship even further? You might offer a trip away for top performers, or opportunities to meet face-to-face with respected clients.
5. Don’t overload yourself or your employees
There’s a fine line between a manageable to-do list and an overloaded one. You need to tread that line carefully when you’re delegating work to your employees. Stressed and overworked workers aren’t productive workers!
Bosses need to be perceptive and, at times, intuitive when it comes to how their employees are faring with their respective workloads. This is easier in smaller businesses, where the boss might check in personally with everyone in the office. If you’re in charge of a larger outfit, you’ll need to ensure that the relevant HR manager is keeping an eye out for who’s struggling. If a consistent pattern emerges, you may need to consider recruiting more workers to meet demand.
No matter the size of your business, communication is key. Listen to your workers when they say they’re not managing, and respond with sympathy as well as with action.
Author’s bio:
Cloe Matheson is a creative writer based in the beautiful city of Dunedin, New Zealand. Since taking her big leap from corporate to freelancing work, she has written for sites such as Epic Adventures and collaborated with other local businesses to raise environmental awareness. Check out more of Cloe’s work here.
Images source: Pexels
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