As a business, it’s your job to make sure your company is as profitable as it can be. It’s also critical that you take the duty of care you have for your staff into consideration in doing so. In order to make your team more productive, you must look after them and ensure that they have good working conditions.
In this article, we discuss some ideas as to how you can make your team as productive as possible. Make sure to keep reading if you would like to find out more about this.
Project Management Training
Project management is key, and as such anyone who is in charge of deadlines or an extended team should undertake some form of project management training. In doing so – you are ensuring that they have the necessary skills to complete their job function. They will also feel more comfortable and confident in their role and be excited to complete it to the best of their ability.
Use Project Management Software
There are lots of project management software packages out there that can help your team become more productive such as Monday or Trello. You can split your team into boards to fit in with their departments within the company and assign tasks, deadlines and due dates.
You can add in the key members and there are also the functionalities to communicate via this system which can help speed up the processes if you are part of a larger business. It also allows you to identify bottlenecks and correct them quickly. As everything is trackable, you can easily see if there is anywhere in your process where things are taking longer as they should and make the correct adjustments.
Collaborative Tools
There are many benefits to the likes of collaborative tools like Office365. This allows departments to collaborate with one another with ease, and it also means that files can be shared no matter where you are. This communication makes for higher levels of productivity – as well as an easier working environment for staff members. More and more offices are moving over to Office365 for improved collaboration. If you can encourage collaboration, you can make your team much more productive over time.
Effective IT
It is critical that you invest in IT as a business. If your computers are running slow – it means that you are losing valuable time. Make sure that you have functioning equipment to reduce time lost and stress levels for your team. It’s also a good idea to consult an IT company for a maintenance package. There are too many businesses that simply rely on someone in the office that’s “ok” at IT or has a base knowledge. Leave it to the experts to take care of this for you, it will be well worth the money and ensure you have no downtime. If your team can rely on their computers not to break down every week then they will be able to increase production levels.
Regular Staff Appraisals
You should be checking in with your employees on a regular basis. This should be to discuss how you feel their current performance is, and how you can help to develop them. It could be that there is something that they are finding challenging that is hindering their productivity – or it could be that they would like more responsibility within the company. These kinds of discussions can help you get the best out of your staff and make them as productive as possible. Ideally, you’d look to do these around every 6 months and there are great appraisal templates online that you can use to get started.
Promote Mental Well-Being
Mental health is becoming something which is increasingly more important as awareness of bad mental health increases. You need to make sure that your staff are in the correct frame of mind to complete tasks efficiently and to the best of their ability. As such – having a mental well-being policy in place is a good place to start. This could be anything from allowing your team access to a life coach at work to ensuring they take regular breaks, so they are fit for purpose when they do work. You should always take the duty of care responsibility you have for your staff seriously.
Team Building Days
Team building days are underrated and critical to creating office harmony and boosting productivity. It gives your team the chance to build relationships with one another and allow them to be able to communicate more effectively. There are lots of team building days that you can get arranged that could be from Go Ape to Crystal Maze type adventures.
This also allows you to identify key skills within your team that you may not previously have been aware of. It could be that someone is great at problem-solving, or that another team member shows themselves to be a good leader. You may also find where you need to develop certain members of staff. It’s also just a good day out, and your team are likely to be more productive when they get back in the office.
Remote Working
There is an increasing number of studies that suggest given the right environment that remote working is the best way to get the most out of your staff. You’d need to ensure they have their workspace set up as it should be and that they have the appropriate equipment in place – but that element of flexibility can be appreciated by them. It also means that they can customise it as they see fit – and create an optimal environment for productivity. You will also find that your staff will be incredibly appreciative about this flexibility and work harder for you.
Employee Perks
There are some employee perks that definitely would improve the productivity of your workforce. Private healthcare is an obvious one. Not only will it make them feel valued, but it will also keep them healthier so there are fewer sick days. There is also private health insurance that can reap the same benefits. You can also get Employee perks boxes from suitable companies or reward staff with good behaviour with vouchers etc.
Employee Recognition
Companies still use the likes of “Employee of the Month” to recognise employees for exceptional work. This can give staff the boost they need to work to their optimum capability. It also lets them know that you are taking notice of them and looking to develop their skills. Make sure you recognise your team on a regular basis.
Final Verdict
If you are wondering how you can make your team more productive then you should make sure to take all of our advice on board. Think about replacing failing IT in the office and encouraging your staff to take a ‘mental health’ when they need to. You should make sure that you are looking after them in order to ensure that the business operates at its full potential year round.
Hopefully, with all of the handy tips that we have given you, you will be well on the way to a more productive workforce!
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