Companies and employees alike are looking to maximize productivity so no one is wasting their time. Improving productivity can be a nuanced task, however, and there are a few ways to approach it. The following are some methods that, alone or combined, have been proven to work.
Taking Regular Breaks
Contrary to how it might seem, taking regular breaks actually improves employee productivity. The human brain tends to get overwhelmed when operating at levels of high focus, particularly on the same types of tasks, for the entire workday. It is not only mentally healthy but physically healthy for employees to take breaks as well. Unhealthy employees are not as productive due to taking more sick days and being less productive when present because they aren’t feeling well. Allowing paid breaks may even be legally mandated depending on the state in which the business is located.
Improving Time Management
Good time management is important for every employee to practice. It prevents them from spending too much time on certain tasks at the expense of others or jumping from task to task in an ineffective manner. Responding to phone calls and e-mails, in particular, can often overwhelm a time management strategy. A solution to this that is generally effective is to only respond to e-mails and return phone calls during a certain time of the day and devoting the rest to other tasks.
Use Better Tools
Various technological tools can improve employee productivity as well. For example, team messaging apps help keep employees in constant communication with each other so updates are received as quickly as possible and employees being uninformed of something is unlikely to happen. To aid with time management, as outlined above, there are several available programs that help employees keep track of how long they work on particular tasks. Cloud software and database systems can also improve productivity because multiple employees can access them at once.
Keeping Employees Happy
Finally, employees are at their most productive when they are happy on a number of fronts, such as how they are being treated by their employer, how meaningful they find their work, their physical comfort and more. Employers need to pay their employees competitively and offer them good benefits in order to both keep them at their most productive and avoid high turnover.