A satisfied workforce is a productive one. Happy employees communicate effectively, make better decisions, and manage stress more easily. They help the business thrive and grow with efficiency.
Every business wants to increase its productivity. But how do you achieve this? And what do you do when productivity dips?
Improving productivity at work isn’t a one-size-fits-all process. Sometimes you only need to tweak one thing. Other times, you need to revamp entire business processes, from internal policies to the work culture.
Why Does Employee Productivity Suffer?
Group productivity in the workplace can slump for various reasons, with the most common including:
- Inefficient businesses processes
- Too many distractions
- Lack of development opportunities
- Low motivation and morale
- Poor management procedures
- No team camaraderie
- Inadequate tools and technology
- Ineffective internal communication
How to Increase Team Productivity at Work
If you’ve noticed a dip in performance around the office, the following tips can prompt employees to be more productive and help you reverse the downturn. Find out how to improve team productivity and efficiency with our easy-to-follow nine ideas.
1. Examine efficiency
Whether stemming from inadequate business processes or poor personal work habits, the result is the same: inefficiency wrecks overall productivity.
Help your team members take stock of the way they work. Often, changing little things here and there can add up to big gains in a team’s productivity.
Respect their productive time and try to discourage multitasking. If there’s a certain process that you or your team could execute better, consider the aid of a productivity app. For employee downtime, provide space with comfortable furniture that lends itself to more meaningful breaks, such as reading, brain games, and light physical activity.
See our article for more tips on how to improve work efficiency.
2. Minimize distractions
Modern workplaces are loaded with productivity killers. To increase performance, you need to snuff them out.
Different people work differently and have different challenges. Whether it’s social media, email, too many meetings, a cluttered workspace, or something else, you can’t know what’s distracting them if you don’t communicate. So talk to your team. Find out what’s slowing them down. By equipping yourself with this knowledge, you can more effectively minimize distractions and move forward.
3. Invest in employee development
To get meaningful contributions from employees, they need to have a stake in the success of the business from day one. Consider this when integrating new employees. There’s no better way to show team members that they matter than by investing in their growth.
Sit down with your team to set goals and create a strategy to achieve them. Then provide opportunities for training and development that will help them not only reach their goals but also grow with the company. Providing employees with their own roadmaps will improve their focus, keep them engaged, and help them achieve better results.
4. Empower your team members to make decisions
Delegating duties and decision-making responsibilities is a great way to make employees feel more appreciated. While it isn’t without a degree of risk, it allows your staff to enhance their skills and experience. It also keeps you from micromanaging, which can frustrate employees and squash their effectiveness.
If you can get to know your team personally as well as professionally, you’ll be able to more effectively identify their strengths and weaknesses. This way, you can assign roles that suit them, increasing the likelihood of success.
5. Carry out meaningful team-building activities
One of the biggest challenges virtual teams face is developing team spirit. With everyone working in their own bubble, it’s hard to foster the camaraderie needed for effective teamwork.
Team bonding activities can boost momentum. But with Zoom fatigue becoming increasingly prevalent, the onus is on you to create a meaningful remote team-building experience that doesn’t resemble another meeting.
Share a virtual coffee break or after-work drink to check in. For something more, try a virtual escape game or trivia quiz. Rather than making activities mandatory, incentivize employees to take part. Sponsor a meal out, encouraging employees to get away from their desks and spend time with loved ones. Then have employees report the experience to the team by sharing photos or stories.
6. Use the right team productivity tools
Employees can’t work efficiently without the right equipment. But resist the urge to try every new piece of software or app. Instead, craft a toolkit that reflects the company’s needs, automating business processes while streamlining workflows and team collaboration.
Go for all-in-one tools, such as feature-rich communication platforms and tech support tools. By affording you multiple functionalities on one platform, you can eliminate instances of switching back and forth between apps or tool overload, both of which are hugely counterproductive.
For project managers, the use of project management tools is recommended. These solutions make it easy to assign tasks, set deadlines, and track progress.
7. Improve communication
Of all the characteristics that define high-performing teams, communication reigns supreme. It’s safe to say that effective communication is the foundation of a healthy work environment. Otherwise, the information doesn’t flow, collaboration doesn’t happen, and processes break down.
Adopt a holistic approach to account for both the company’s technology and the innate styles and preferences of your entire team. A robust instant messaging app for business, such as Brosix, offers you text, voice, video, and mobile capabilities, enabling communication in any instance across any platform.
Your team members are humans, after all, with unique needs and idiosyncrasies. Take a team psychology test to shed insight into individual and group personalities. This way, you can identify barriers to communication, zero in on the team psyche, and even provide a fun team-building activity in the process.
Every team needs transparency and honesty in their interactions. Conflicts and other critical situations can be resolved easier when everyone involved shares their concerns and opinions.
To communicate better around the office, don’t miss our guide on improving team communication.
8. Introduce a flexible working policy
Odds are, some employees work better enjoying the independence of remote work, while others thrive on the action of a busy office. Offering a flexible work policy affords your team some freedom over their work routine. It also provides them with an opportunity to get ample rest and eliminate their work-related headaches, such as lengthy commutes, noisy office spaces, or work-from-home distractions.
What’s more, allowing employees to pick the place that best suits their productivity demonstrates that you prioritize work-life balance and well-being. Boosting both business efficiency and worker effectiveness, it’s a win-win.
9. Encourage feedback
You can’t make improvements if you don’t know what’s broken and where. Feedback is a proven way to improve team performance, helping you pinpoint issues and make changes.
Feedback can be instructional or inspirational. But it must be constructive. When employees succeed, let them know by providing positive reinforcement. When performance isn’t up to par, give specific guidance on how to work better and resources to facilitate course correction.
Go beyond the annual performance review by incorporating feedback into the daily stand-up as well as establishing an anonymous suggestion box. These different outlets not only promote internal communication but also increase the likelihood of success. The team will be more agile because of it. And employees will be happier and more effective.
Develop the Right Strategy to Increase Productivity
With this advice, you should be able to diagnose the productivity-related issues that your whole team faces as well as develop the right strategy to rectify them. As many problems stem from poor communication, a team communication tool is required. So, if you are wondering how to boost productivity on your team, then Brosix could be a good starting point.
With rich messaging and collaboration capabilities, robust administrative control options, and industry-leading security features, Brosix is geared toward improving your productivity and communication. Request a demo today and experience the benefits for yourself.
FAQ
How can team leaders improve team productivity?
There are several efficient ways to increase team productivity. Encourage team collaboration, conduct regular team meetings and team buildings, set clear metrics and deadlines, and provide team members with the right tools and resources.
Furthermore, you should promote open communication and collaboration, resolve conflicts, and address concerns promptly. Make sure you recognize and reward team members for their hard work and achievements. Last but not least, consider using online project management software.
How can productivity tools help your team’s performance?
Productivity tools can boost team productivity by providing features that aid in tracking tasks, setting goals, and improving communication. They also help with efficient time management, ensuring that deadlines are met and metrics are achieved.
What are the best team productivity tools for 2024?
In 2024, some of the best team productivity tools include project management software, team collaboration platforms, and time-tracking tools. These tools offer various features to enhance team efficiency and productivity in a fast-paced work environment.
