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From the top down, the role of executives, managers, supervisors and team leaders has a common theme. Even though the duties and responsibilities may differ based on their unique job description, all of these jobs require some form of inspiring and motivating others to perform better. It’s a critical aspect of the job that can have a big impact on the workplace environment, customer satisfaction, and company performance.
89% of employees surveyed said workplace relationships were very important to their quality of life. Share on XHere are a few things that you can do to boost your employee’s job satisfaction and performance.
1. Provide Effective Training Programs for All Employees
One of the most beneficial areas in promoting productivity is providing suitable training for all employees. Effective training helps workers do a better job and increases productivity.
On the other hand, without the proper training, employees tend to stagnate in their roles, and lose touch with the latest developments and best practices. A training program sets expectations and keeps employees performing their best, boosts confidence and makes them feel valued.
2. Design Economic Incentives for the Entire Workforce
It is not uncommon for incentive programs to be designed and implemented for the upper echelons of a company, with the lower level groups left out. Unfortunately, in this scenario, there is really no need for these workers to put their best foot forward because there is no significant incentive for them to do better. This also affects morale as workers feel devalued and irrelevant.
Incentive programs tell employees that performance matters, and this can significantly boost productivity and morale across the company. It incentivizes people to take the initiative, learn new skills, and to find better, more efficient ways to do their jobs.
3. Help to Foster Good Workplace Relationships
Considering how much time people spend at work and interating with colleagues, it is important that these relationships remain cohesive and pleasant and not strained. According to a Globoforce report cited in the Huffington Post, 89% of all employees surveyed said that on the job relationships were very important to their overall quality of life. This is one of the reasons why so many social relationships and connections are made between 9 and 5.
Team-building programs can play a role here, but it need not be that formal or expensive. Setting aside a bit of time for weekly or monthly recreation and socializing can dramatically improve relationships, cooperation and productivity. It can even be as simple as adding a ping-pong table in the break room and organizing a friendly tournament between departments.
It’s important that this “downtime” not be contrived and that employees willingly participate. It’s best to survey your employees and learn what kind of activities they would like to participate in, rather than guessing or forcing one on them.
4. Provide Employees with the Right Resources to do their Job
A key component of fostering a productive workplace is ensuring that every staff member has all of the right tools and resources available to do their jobs to the best of their ability. Without the right tools and equipment, productivity falls, error rates and dissatisfaction rise.
Not only do you need the right tools and information, but equipment should be reliable. With the rapid rate of obsolescence, it pays to keep hardware and software up to date, to minimize downtime and the risk of security breaches and viruses that can be catastrophic for a business.
5. Productivity is Not Just About Speed and Volume
There are many facets to productivity. Too often we think in quantitative terms, how many work cycles are completed and ignore the quality of the outcome.
Don’t sacrifice quality to quantity. Ensure that work is checked for defects and errors at all key stages. Fixing an error early on in a process can dramatically boost productivity by avoiding slow and costly reworks later.
6. Be Approachable and Informed
No matter how good the systems and processes you put in place, problems and questions will arise. The sooner those come to light and can be addressed, the better. So, be available and approachable so that problems are not ignored or buried but are openly discussed and resolved rapidly.
By keeping the lines of communication open, not just between managers and immediate subordinates, but across teams and hierarchies, employees will be more willing to raise their hands when they need help and are more likely to bring problems to the attention of management.
7. Motivate by being a Good Example
Leaders set the tone and culture of a company. If you want to foster good habits, display them. It’s far better, and more convincing, to show rather than tell.
Managers who are clearly motivated and productive throughout their day, pass on this attitude to others around them. For instance, a good leader will always display a strong commitment and dedication to customers, to their employees and to all their management above them. With this example, employees are much more likely to be productive, efficient and effective in the jobs that they do as immolate their own leaders.
- 7 Ways to Achieve a Happier More Productive Workplace - June 8, 2017