Do you feel like your company is lagging a little and that productivity is at an all-time low? The reason for this sudden slump could be attributed to one of many things, but there are some general principles that you can live by, which will help pep up your office workers and get projects finished fast.
Here are some things to consider, when managing your workspace…
Have Short Term And Long Term Plans
With nothing to work towards, it’s no wonder that your employees are in a productivity slump. Set long and short term goals, so everyone knows what they are working towards. Direction is crucial for any business, and it’s nice for the employees to feel as though they are a part of something exciting.
Look After Your Team
When employees are looked after, they work harder. Small things will make a big difference, such as ordering more comfortable or ergonomically friendly chairs, and making the office look pleasant. Listen to your employees’ complaints and try to take care of your workforce. A suggestions box often works well, and if it wouldn’t cost you too much money to facilitate their requests, it’s often worth listening to them.
Encourage Breaks
Getting up and away from the desk is a great way to shake up a stale mind. With a break or two during the day for fresh air, your employees can reset and look at their work with fresh eyes. Stagnating at the desk all day is bad for their health and bad for productivity.
Facilitate Lunchtime Exercise
There are usually at least a couple of people who would relish the opportunity to sneak in a workout during lunchtime, but there often aren’t the facilities to grab a quick shower on-site. If your employees exercise during lunch, their productivity will go through the roof in the afternoon, so perhaps offer a discount system towards local gym membership, or actually consider installing a shower room in your work place. Healthy employees are more productive employees.
Extra Curricular Activities
Some organizations especially on the East coast have embraced staff activities outside of office hours. Take Boston based, Time Management Company, Advance Systems for example. They routinely schedule activities such as Night Bowling, Crazy Golf, Quiz Nights, Haunted Tours and Go Karting to name but a few. The resulting reaction to such a wide variety of ‘Off Site’ activities can only be beneficial to both employee and company. Employees require an outlet outside of the Workplace to bond and interact with their colleagues. It is essential for organizations of every size to accommodate employees in this way. Employees who socialize together will ultimately work more efficiently within a team and the visible effects of this is a rise in production.
Be Smart With Your Emails
Although it’s important to keep on top of your emails, try to limit yourself to checking them at certain times during the day. This way, you won’t get easily distracted and you can focus on the task at hand. Once you start responding to emails, time goes by quickly, you get roped into other things, and your current project gets neglected. It’s just not time efficient.
Outsource
Don’t spread your employees out too thinly. There is only so much work that they can handle. Where you can, outsource work, to lighten the load and give them space to reach their deadlines on time. Overloading your employees often leads to stress, and this has a number of drastic ramifications. In particular, consider bandwidth management, as slow, hindered internet prevents your employees from getting tasks done.
What are your favourite ways to increase productivity around the office? Let us know!