We’re going back to basics regarding productivity and how any business, small or large can implement 5 steps to a more productive working environment…
1.Communicative and Personable
There should be an attempt to build up a certain level of rapport with colleagues. When the atmosphere is a friendly one, people will feel more comfortable to offer up new ideas or, indeed, express their opinions. A friendly atmosphere makes it more likely that there will be a creative flow of ideas. When there is something that needs negotiating, also, people are likely to be more forthcoming in their attempts to see a solution through to the end if they feel they’re a valued member of the team.
2.Sense of Purpose
Speaking of being a member of a team, a good way to ensure that people continue to act as a member of the said team is to outline what it is, exactly, that they do. Employees need a sense of purpose and have to understand their role in the context of the company. It’s advised that you do not simply give instructions. Instead, make sure that each individual knows how what he/she is doing. This is beneficial for the company for which they work. If they know exactly why they are an asset, they are not only going to be more motivated to complete tasks to the best of their ability but also understand what is required of them during the working day and why it is necessary. Without a sense of purpose, employees can become complacent and confused, searching elsewhere for roles that offer a more lucid representation of what they are actually doing for the organisation or company.
3.Autonomy
Nobody likes being micro-managed. It is likely to decrease productivity if everything has to go through middle management unnecessarily, with every fine detail being checked and double checked incessantly. If your worker is skilled at what they do then there should be a level of trust placed in them to complete their tasks without any unnecessary assistance. If you require tasks to be done efficiently, let people work at their own pace and get the level of quality you want. It gives each person a chance to shine professionally and impress their superiors. Room to breathe is important for the workplace.
4.Clear value system
Each company is different and as such, it should have its own personal brand. Whatever your organisation’s values are, they should be visibly enshrined in the workplace. One should be able to walk into an office environment and be able to literally see what drives that company to success. Be that their dress code, their work ethic or their brand ethos. For example, if a business wants to project an image of reliability, maybe timekeeping should be stressed and employees of the office should be encouraged strongly to be on time to every meeting, not to spend over an hour for lunch etc. Discipline and adherence to this value system should be readily encouraged and there should be consequences for those who deliberately do not adhere.
5.Team fluidity
No man is an island. This applies just as much in the workplace and the level of rapport I mentioned in the first paragraph should come in handy here. When teams are required to complete tasks there should be no hesitation or confusion surrounding who should be working with whom. Ideally, there should be no bad combinations of people. Work with each member of the office to figure out their professional attributes, thus allowing them to fit seamlessly into any model team and this will allow tasks to be carried out quickly and exceptionally well because everyone will be utilized to the best of their ability.
No Comments