Ten Ways to Increase Workplace Productivity

Increasing workplace productivity should be a collaborative effort between management and employees. Employees should suggest ways the company can be more productive and develop ways they can be more efficient at their own jobs. Management should constantly analyze workforce efficiency and develop policies designed to increase workplace productivity.

Breaks

• Insist that employees take a 15-minute break in the morning and then in the afternoon along with a lunch break each day. It offers employees a chance to get away from the job for a while and re-focus their energies when they return. The company can help by providing a comfortable break room at a central location in the facility.

Clear the Way

• Get employees into the habit of keeping their work areas and the company hallways clear of unnecessary clutter. Each employee should be responsible for maintaining the departmental filing system and keeping items such as tools and cleaning equipment put away. This will allow people to more easily access important papers and equipment, and it will also make the workplace safer. A safer workplace is a more productive workplace.

Office Floor Plan

• The office floor plan contributes to overall employee productivity, according to the Office Arrow website. The floor plan for the office should put work groups close to one another and place resources, such as reference materials or office supplies, within easy reach as well. It allows the groups to interact more efficiently, and it reduces the amount of time a work group spends retrieving necessary work resources such as training manuals.

Time Management

• Employees and management should all keep a calendar that indicates how their work days will be broken down. Schedule meetings at least a week in advance so participants can prepare for the meeting and make efficient use of meeting time. Schedule downtime throughout the day where emails can be checked and other correspondence can be read so it does not interfere with the work day.

Routines

• Getting staff members and management into certain routines can make it easier to plan a more efficient day. For example, if everyone in a department knows the departmental staff meeting is Thursday at 1 pm, then staff members know to ask questions at the meeting as opposed to taking up work time. Routines allow employees to better organize their days and weeks.

Use Technology

• Make technology available to the work staff that will increase productivity. For example, a contact management software program will help your sales, marketing and purchasing teams to keep accurate records about clients without having to create an inefficient paper trail.

Checklists

• Developing checklists that can be used for a variety of purposes will help keep employees organized and productive. For example, developing a checklist for what to bring to each trade show and how to run the trade show booth will reduce issues with shipping materials to and from the show. It will also allow booth workers to more efficiently attend to customers who visit the booth.

Keep it Light

• When employees feel stress and pressure to perform, it can have a negative effect on productivity. Emphasize company goals to employees, but also allow a sense of humor to be part of your corporate culture. Sponsor off-site employee gatherings at local sports events or a bowling night at a local bowling alley to help relieve some of the pressure at work.

Work Equipment

• In order to increase workplace productivity, you must provide your staff with the most efficient tools. This does not mean that you need to update your equipment each time a new version is released. It means that if your staff is forced to use obsolete or inefficient equipment, then productivity will suffer.

Reduce Personal Interruptions

• Family emergencies and other personal employee issues are unavoidable, and the company should support each employee dealing with a personal crisis. But in order to increase workplace productivity, the company should discourage personal phone calls and visits during work hours.