While there are plenty of things you may be doing right in your business, you may be failing your employees in some areas. In hidden ways, their productivity is being killed.
Yes, you offer bonuses and a diverse workplace, but you may be sabotaging your best efforts which result in a demoralized workforce.
If you have read our article on how to max out worker productivity then you have a head start in the right direction.
Next, you have to take a look at some of the things to avoid to make sure you keep that productivity high.
1. Monitor time spent working.
Keeping track of the time that people are working can help understand how to help them work better. Using QuickBooks time tracking app is a good way to see the details of their working day and adjust to help them get more out of less time so they don’t have to work quite as much.
2. Not giving your employees a voice.
If you want your staff to feel like they are on a team and are all pulling on the same rope, then let them feel like they have a say in the operations.
Have a dedicated brainstorming meeting to address specific issues. It could be ideas on where to find ways to cut expenses. Or, maybe a way to make inroads with a tough to crack market. Let them take the lead and throw some ideas around.
Having a stake in the future of the company will keep them motivated to keep the productive pace high.
Devaluing their opinions can have the opposite effect and end up making them feel like just another cog in the wheel.
3. Too much bureaucracy.
How many forms need to be filled out for a request for time off? Is the process of a change of office dynamics too complex for most people to even bother with?
When procedures are too standardized without any sense of human reasoning needed or wanted in the system then that kills morale.
Have things streamlined, yes, but operate with the belief that your employees are intelligent people and can figure things out on their own, too.
4. Too much focus on tech.
Technology is very important. But, if people feel like they are being replaced by software then that kills productivity and morale.
IT does play a bigger role than ever with artificial intelligence and big data being so prevalent. Yet, the data doesn’t always tell a story. Your employees need to feel that they offer a lot of value over a program or some data sets. Let them feel it by trusting them and allowing for a collaboration with the technology instead of competing with it.
5. Letting a bad mood fester.
Sometimes a funk can take over an office. It is inevitable as a bad mood can spread. It is up to the managers to see a dark cloud forming and nip it in the bud. That’s when it’s time for some measures like a company party or maybe rewarding hard work with some time off.
