November 4th 2021
Employee productivity is the measure of what a single worker provides your business. As we are near the end of the work-from-home era, employees are starting to returning to the workplace. It’s important for business leaders to understand what they can do to make the transition as seamless and comfortable as possible. Employees may feel as if they’re entering a work environment for the first time all over again. Meeting back with colleagues in person, instead of through a screen. Their productivity can depend on the environment you create for them to return to. We’re going to give you some helpful tips on how you can get the most out of them, by simply adapting the work environment and atmosphere.
How Workplace Conditions Can Boost Team Morale
It’s a little-known fact that the environment you work in can affect how much work you get done. Like the university student that struggles to get assignments in on time but does all of their work sitting on a bed – the place with which they associate sleeping. Working environments don’t have to be the drab, white cubicle layouts of the 80’s and 90’s anymore. Industry leaders are becoming increasingly aware of how surroundings can help to boost office morale. Something as simple as having enough natural light can improve overall health, or easier access to lunch and restroom facilities. This means your employees don’t feel tethered to their desks for up to 8 hours a day.
Another big factor in improving productivity can be their workstations. Desks and chairs are a staple in any modern office and should at the very least be comfortable to use. Also, changing up the layout of the office can drastically improve the speed in which work is completed, as fresh views and environments can boost creativity as well as sociability for your team.
Traditional 9-5 Hours Could (and Maybe Should) Be a Thing of The Past
Flexibility. Flexibility is key. The rigid schedules of the traditional office can lead to many employees becoming complacent over time, as they trudge along in the same routines every day. This, in time, can lead to a decrease in motivation for their tasks at work. Any business owner would want their employees to turn up to the office bright eyed and ready to face the day. Allowing for flexible hours for your employees can be a great approach in a modern office. Whether it’s compressed work weeks (same hours over 4 days rather than 5) to allow more time for their friends and families, or part-time working from home. Workplace flexibility should be a winning strategy for employee productivity. This, in turn, boosts motivation at work, so business owners should be seriously considering these options in the post-Covid world.
Optimise Your Workflows for Maximum Return
We’ve all been there, sitting in the office wondering what we’re meant to be doing. So, we go and get another cup of coffee and hope we remember by the time we sit back down at our desk. In an ideal world, employees should know exactly what their tasks are for the day and be able to put their all into each one. Optimising workflows and processes should be a clear goal for any business, which means there’s no sitting around and wondering anymore. From clear and concise meeting scheduling. Team leaders improving their delegation and overseeing abilities. Dedicated document and email categorising time. There are steps you can take as a business leader to streamline work time. This increases productivity across the board. This works well in serviced offices to give everyone clear goals for each day.
Team Training Can Improve Outlook and Boost Employee Productivity
Training and team development are key to any business. This doesn’t mean the team bonding exercises of the past, such as falling backwards and hoping your colleague will catch you. It means giving your employees the chance to actually be present during any training days/times. Do you have specialised software that they are meant to know every aspect of? Dedicate a day specifically to teach newer recruits the ins and outs of that system. Do you have processes that are expected to be followed by everyone? Allow team leaders to take the reigns for an hour or two per week to get everyone up to speed, away from their desks.
Successful training programmes don’t have to just include a PowerPoint presentation anymore. Take a more hands-on approach to your employee training to boost productivity at work, which in turn boosts the profits of your business.
Set Clear Business Goals and Targets That Your Employees Understand
It is important that you set attainable goals for your employees. After all, they are there to help your business reach its’ full potential. Without them, your business does not exist. So how can we ensure that the right goals are set, and targets met? Firstly, you can dedicate time to smaller teams to brainstorm what their own individual goals are within the company. This can deepen employee engagement with their role.
You can ensure each employee knows both the short and long-term aspirations of the business. This leads to a more productive approach to their work. You can also set SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-based), to not only minimize failure, but also have trackable success indicators, doing away with the vague ‘company goals’ of the past, and replacing them with clear and concise objectives.
Pay Attention to Your Employees Physical and Mental Wellbeing
With mental health awareness at an all-time high, it is clear that employers need to have programs in place that can help their workers to feel seen and heard. Co-working offices can be great for employees to have more opportunities to socialise at work, increasing their mental wellbeing. An effective mental health program can also show your employees that they are a valued member of a team-working machine. Not simply another cog.
Bring onboard a physical or mental health professional in a wellness program to make sure employees aren’t suffering in silence. These help your employees to not feel burnt out in their current role. It also lets them know they have somewhere to go to talk it out when they’re feeling low. Poor mental or physical health can be a detriment to the output of any worker. You want them to feel like they can raise questions, concerns and worries without being overlooked or undervalued. This, in turn, also helps to boost productivity and creativity.
So, there are many things that you can do as an employer to ensure productivity across your team. From office layouts, team training and awareness of mental health. Or setting the right attainable goals for your business. With offices slowly being repopulated after the pandemic, we understand what the impact of a fresh office can have on the output of your employees.
You can head over and view our range of Serviced Offices if you’re looking for an all-in-one office solution for your business. Or see our Managed Offices, where you can create the optimal workplace environment for employee productivity.
