7 Strategies for Increasing Workplace Productivity
How much more work could your team be getting done? At Skeleton Key, we spend a lot of time thinking about this question and helping businesses formulate an answer. We’re workplace innovation specialists with the tools to develop a customized software solution that improves employee productivity. Ultimately, we focus on empowering your team so they can get back to doing the work they most enjoy.
The software tools your team uses are a critical part of maximizing workplace productivity, but that’s not the only thing you need to consider when optimizing your work environment. In this post, we’ll explore some of the other factors you need to consider to take productivity up a notch.
1. Minimize Workplace Distractions
Ask one of your employees where they prefer to go when they need to focus and get a lot of work done. Chances are that place isn’t their desk. From coworkers passing by for a quick conversation to impromptu meetings, we’re constantly bombarded by distraction in the workplace. One of the keys to maximizing efficiency is minimizing those distractions. Implementing mobile device-use policies, social media filters, consolidating network applications, and encouraging employees to take regular breaks are an excellent place to start.
2. Delegate Tasks
No single person can do it all. Delegating tasks to the team members best equipped to handle them helps your organization get more done while improving customer satisfaction. Project management and reporting software make it easy to decide which tasks ought to be delegated to which team members.
3. Optimize Workplace Conditions
When employees get too hot or cold, it becomes difficult for them to focus and stay on task. On top of that, uncomfortable employees end up wasting time by migrating to more comfortable areas of your building, layering clothes, or avoiding work altogether. Ensuring that your HVAC system is equipped to maintain a workplace temperature between 68 and 70 degrees can help your team stay focused year-round.
4. Establish Realistic Goals
Employees’ jobs become substantially simpler when they have clear workplace expectations and attainable goals to strive for. These goals help unify your team around a common purpose while giving them a concrete reason for showing up to work each morning. At the same time, when they have some downtime, clear goal setting allows them to make the most of that time while simultaneously moving your organization forward.
5. Give Your Team the Right Tools
If your team’s workflows have become more about the tools than the work itself, it’s time to reconsider your workplace productivity strategies. Without the right tools and equipment in place, employees are forced to work against a system that should be working for them. Without a software solution that conforms to the way they work, they’re forced to conform their workflows to the restrictions of that software. These restrictions ultimately breed inefficiency and have a negative impact on productivity. Fortunately, a workplace innovation platform can help.
6. Practice Positive Reinforcement
Instead of reprimanding employees for what they didn’t get done that week, start rewarding them for what they did get done. Did they hit all of their milestones for the week? Let them leave a couple of hours early on Friday. You’ll find that when you shape productivity goals around positive encouragement, your team will actually get more done in less time instead of just doing the bare minimum.
7. Prioritize Employee Satisfaction
Happy employees are productive employees. This mantra sounds simple enough, but what are you doing to actively engage employees and ensure their job satisfaction? Show them that they’re appreciated by practicing positive reinforcement and highlighting their successes instead of getting hung up on challenges. With the right reporting software tools, tracking and rewarding employees for hitting specific milestones is easy, so you can be confident they’re getting as much out of work as they’re putting into it.
The Workplace Productivity Experts at Skeleton Key
Are you looking for ways to elevate productivity at your workplace? Skeleton Key can help. We’ve already worked with organizations in every industry to streamline workflows and prioritize productivity with a customized software solution built around the way they work. We’re ready to help you next. Explore the possibilities with a deeper understanding of our development process or contact our team today to take the first step.
