Business productivity is a product of how efficiently your business uses human resources and capital. The most efficient businesses can produce more outputs using the same number of resources as other businesses. With such a significant impact on a company’s bottom line, there is no wonder why increased productivity is the great white whale in business, with many organizations completely missing their targets every day.
Fortunately, there is a better approach your business can take. The following strategies will help you to successfully analyse productivity in your workplace.
Measure Productivity Effectively
The adage, “what gets measured gets done,” still holds true today. The problem, however, is that many managers are relying on faulting measurements and making bad decisions, in turn. Managers are concerned with employee hours and days spent doing the work. In reality, the only measure that matters is the work that’s completed. Do your employees meet the goals you’ve established for them? If not, then dissect your processes and determine what prevents them from doing their jobs.
Streamline Processes
Efficient processes are critical to your business’ success. If your current working system is complex, then employees aren’t going to be able to work around it and the project will be affected as a result. Often, simplicity is much more effective and all your employees need is clear guidance on what they need to do. Don’t throttle your business with needless processes; eliminate them and increase your productivity.
Use Employee Tracking Software
A genuine effort to improve workplace productivity requires a comprehensive way to track employees’ tasks. Work planner software helps you to manage your resources more effectively. With real-time information about task completion, you can identify areas that need improvement and reward employees who are working at optimal levels.
Features that can be utilised within the software to prevent you from wasting vital time include:
- An online project planning board that gives you more than simply an overview of your tasks; you can also easily analyse resource utilisation. You can see who is doing what and who is up to date on their tasks using the planning board.
- The Gantt chart feature allows you to monitor your project’s progress by assessing you work breakdown structure, activities, and milestones, and dependencies. The Gantt chart makes this task management software a must-have for any business that desires increased productivity.
- A mobile app keeps you informed no matter where your business takes you.
- You can get help with managing and paying invoices.
- Get the data you need to make informed decisions and continue to improve your business with in-app reporting.
Work planner software will allow you to stay informed of what’s going on within your business and which areas may be lacking in productivity.
Let the Outcomes Speak
All too often, executive managers invest in analytics to help improve their productivity; however, they don’t understand the results or think the results are wrong. As long as your measurements are valid, reliable, and free from any bias, then you should let the outcomes guide you to the appropriate remedy for the problem. Many managers toss out valid data because it doesn’t agree with their assumptions. It’s important to remember, real data is better at uncovering inefficiencies than hunches.
Don’t be afraid to address these concerns with your employees, you never know, there may be a reasonable explanation for them. Ignoring concrete evidence will not help to increase productivity, it will only prevent it from striving.
Boost Employee Morale
Your employees are a significant factor when it comes to increasing productivity. If they aren’t on board, then how will you get the work done? Morale is the final element you need to improve productivity. You should consider bonuses, flexible work locations, recognition, and promotions as a means of increasing your employees’ morale.
Every business wants to enhance their productivity because it increases their bottom line; however, doing so alludes most managers. Fortunately, there is a way businesses can improve their efforts, instead of simply throwing anything and everything at the production floor to see if it sticks. Managers can convert more by employing sound business practices, including measuring outputs and using worker tracker software on a regular basis.
