Productivity fuels your business and its profits, so it makes sense to consider it when examining your business’ performance. Small and medium-sized businesses, or SMBs, have opportunities to improve operations through the use of productivity technology. Let’s explore some of these strategies!
Hold Your Employees Accountable
Employees are often the largest culprits for lost productivity. They might not be working as hard as they could, and businesses need ways to hold employees accountable when they don’t. Of course, lost productivity is not simply due to laziness; it could vary from the weather, demand, or even a lack of managerial oversight. You can use the following strategies to maintain accountability.
Avoid Micromanagement
It’s possible to lead without being a micromanager, but you need to toe the line between effective management at the same time. You can’t just let people do whatever they want, but strict oversight can often hold back teams of creative folks and create a negative work environment for others. Respect your team while offering guidance; this is what leads to effective productivity.
Set Clear Expectations
Without expectations or benchmarks, your team won’t have anything to guide their efforts. Sometimes, productivity can be lost simply because there is no clear goal, process confusion, or task management redundancies. Eliminate these barriers with clear, concise communication.
Provide Tools for Success
You can’t expect your team to be productive if you don’t give them the appropriate tools. Otherwise, they might have to use their own “solutions” that are not as secure or efficient. Invest in the right resources now so you don’t pay in the long run.
Build a Positive Work Environment
If your team has a positive work environment, they will be more prone to productivity. Fear and unreasonable standards will not give you the results you need; they will only hold you back. Focus your leadership style on supporting staff to be their best selves.
Positivity will Lead to Productivity
People enjoy working in positive environments, so when you put people in positive, supporting environments, they are more likely to be productive. According to the American Psychological Association, workplace stress costs the U.S. economy nearly $500 billion annually. All jobs have expectations and deadlines, but you can do more than you think to make working for your business a positive experience.
As a result, you’ll decrease your turnover rate—and considering that turnover costs can cost your business up to twice the employee’s salary, you want to avoid it as much as possible.
Here are ways you can build a positive work environment:
Create a Retention Plan
If you want to retain staff, you’ll need to treat them with respect. Two-thirds of employees who leave their jobs feel they are not respected. If you offer regular praise, performance reviews, and wage increases, they will see themselves as valued, increasing their productivity.
Offer Quality Benefits
One of the major perks of full-time employment is the health benefits you offer your employees. Health plans are difficult for SMBs, but they go a long way to keep employees happy. Similarly, if you cannot afford health plans, you can certainly offer flexible dress codes, flexible work hours, and wellness programs to keep people happy.
Use the Right Technology
Technology can do so much for SMBs, from collaboration to streamlining operations. You can most certainly improve your team’s productivity with the right tools! To learn more, call us today at (281) 916-1101.
