Strong economic headwinds, progress in workplace tools, and the rise in remote employees have leaders asking, "How can I increase productivity in my workplace?"
The answer to that question isn’t always simple.
This is especially true as remote work, AI, and employee engagement remain among the most discussed business topics in the world of work.
But, increasing employee productivity doesn’t change much from year to year. The foundation remains the same — only the tactics vary.
Take a look at some of our top ideas to improve productivity in the workplace below.
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Productivity in the workplace represents the value that each team member or individual contributes to the success of the business. It assesses the output of individuals or teams to identify how an organization can enhance its workflows.
In 2023, leaders face multiple challenges in increasing and maintaining workplace productivity. The pandemic needn’t be said to have had a huge impact on workplace culture and employee morale. Work-from-home policies, new technology, and quiet quitting have shaken up workplace productivity.
According to research from Gallup, “Before the pandemic, engagement and wellbeing were rising globally for nearly a decade – but now, they're stagnant.”
Burnout, layoffs, and lack of job satisfaction contributed to a new culture coined “quiet quitting.”
Quiet quitting occurs when someone psychologically checks out from work. Although they’re physically present or logged into their computer, they don’t know what to do or why it matters. Currently, around six in 10 employees say they fall into the category of quiet quitting.
While executives may associate workforce productivity with maximizing worker output to boost profits, many employees find that this pressure leads to stress, conjuring images of long workdays and constant connectivity. Excessive work hours and insufficient rest can contribute to burnout and result in employees resigning. When employees work at optimal productivity, they accomplish more in less time.
Like many things, productivity revolves around balance. Therefore, it’s time to redefine workplace productivity and determine the best ways to achieve high levels without compromising staff retention.
Improving workplace productivity requires a consistent culture, from the ground up.
Easier said than done. Building a workplace that encourages healthy productivity requires a lot of work. Here are some ways companies can help employees embrace a productive work culture.
People often perform best when they feel trusted by their employers. Currently, one-third of executives monitor activity metrics (e.g., hours worked, emails sent) for their employees, yet only 15% of employees believe this practice enhances their productivity.
Heavily monitoring employees can create a culture of mistrust and a lack of autonomy. When people don’t feel trusted to perform their best work, it becomes more challenging for them to engage. Avoid establishing a culture that scrutinizes every move your employees take.
Instead of micro-managing teams, let employees take responsibility for their work. Embrace the mantra that it doesn't matter when or how, as long as the work is completed on time.
As part of your culture of trust and accountability, let employees choose when and where they work best according to their productivity levels. More than half (52%) of desk workers say that a flexible work schedule is one of the best ways employers can support their productivity.
Ask team members whether they prefer working from home, remotely, or in an office workspace, then respect their choice.
Consider allowing remote workers to select their work hours based on their preferences. Additionally, if you provide hybrid work, permit team members to decide which days they wish to come into the office.
Next, determine whether employees need to schedule uninterrupted deep work periods on their calendars to concentrate on important tasks without distractions from messages and calls. These periods could include no-meeting days or muted Slack channels. Assist employees in protecting their deep work time by scheduling meetings at different times.
If some team members prefer or need face-to-face collaboration or team-wide phone calls, give them the tools to make it happen.
Almost half of the world's workers feel the burden of stress. Plus, according to research from Stanford, employees who work sixty-hour weeks are less productive than those who work forty hours due to fatigue, stress, and other distracting factors associated with being overworked.
Sometimes more isn’t better. In fact, sometimes the best way to improve workplace productivity is to allow your team to take a step away and decompress. Employee burnout results in a drastic loss of workplace productivity and can be detrimental to a business’s bottom line. Turnover of just one employee can cost 1.5-2 times their salary, and lost productivity to depression and anxiety disorders costs the global economy $1 trillion every year.
Around half of desk workers feel pressure to respond to messages quickly, even if sent after working hours. This feeling of needing to be constantly “on” can take its toll and lead to burnout.
But there is a solution. 67% say having predictable blocks of time when everyone is disconnected (such as after 6 p.m. and on weekends) would improve their productivity.
Encourage employees to leave on time or log off at the end of the day. Inform them that it’s acceptable to turn off work-related notifications like Slack or email and to focus their energy on leisure or family activities.
Lead by example and cultivate a company culture that encourages taking time off. When senior leadership feels comfortable taking time off, it becomes easier for other team members to follow suit. If you haven’t done so yet, establish vacation and paid time off policies.
When people get the downtime they need, it’s often easier for them to focus and get more work done in less time.
Employees are often more engaged when they grow, and learning new skills can help prevent boredom and burnout. Implement company-wide growth and learning opportunities to help your employees progress professionally.
Encourage employees to set aside time for learning activities and block out regular monthly or weekly company learning sessions. You could also provide a monthly learning stipend to incentivize employees to take courses.
If your employees lose time to task-switching and tech, it’s important to help them set boundaries and realistic communication expectations.
Andrea Miller, CEO of consulting firm LeadWell Company, explains that setting boundaries is essential for maintaining productivity.
“As for the dreaded tech and communication overload, it really is about setting boundaries with technology, scheduling specific times for checking emails and notifications, limiting social media usage, and letting people know that this is your deep work time and unless it’s urgent that you won’t respond and they shouldn’t disturb you.”
When employees know they can set realistic boundaries that other team members and leaders will respect, it’ll make it easier for them to focus on priority tasks.
Establish clear and achievable goals with employees in regular one-on-one and team-wide feedback sessions. Avoid being overly ambitious so that people can hit targets without burning out.
Encourage employees to set realistic to-do lists with granular tasks and weekly goals. This will help you keep employees on track and encourage them to meet targets.
Andrea of LeadWell Company explains that clear goals help employees set themselves up for success.
"The greatest inefficiencies come from a lack of clear goals and expectations. The clearer you can be about what’s important to you for that period of time, the more efficient you can be. It’s when we start task-switching, multitasking, and trying to do it all that we get into trouble."
Jane Stoller, AKA Organized Jane, a keynote speaker, productivity and organizing expert, adds that not having clear goals can lower an individual’s and team’s productivity.
“Lack of clear goals and expectations are a sure way to make employees inefficient. Establish these from the get-go and keep on top of weekly meetings to go over them with your employees. This really helps increase productivity and efficiency. If they don’t meet the expectations, then it may be time to move on.”
Workforce productivity increases when employees feel respected and appreciated. When employees hit those targets and goals, acknowledge them and make sure their efforts are appreciated. Consider incentives like bonuses or non-monetary rewards to motivate team members. For example, you could offer gift vouchers and spa experiences or enter top-performing employees into a quarterly holiday giveaway.
To keep employees motivated, make career growth and workplace progression as transparent as possible. Share job hierarchies and include accompanying salary levels to do this.
Only a third of employees say they’re thriving in their overall well-being—that’s two-thirds of workers who aren’t shining as much as they could. This is a key loss of productivity since 82% say that feeling happy and engaged at work is a key driver of their productivity.
Healthy employees who achieve a good work-life balance are far more likely to reach high productivity levels.
Encourage employees to prioritize their health above all else. To help employees feel at their best, consider company-wide wellness activities or provide a monthly stipend that team members can spend on exercise classes, massages, or therapy.
When implemented correctly, productivity tools can help keep employees on track to meet goals and deadlines. But beware of tech overwhelm, though –– most workers toggle between apps 10 times an hour, costing organizations 32 days per worker per year of workplace productivity.
Start by giving employees access to workflow apps, time management software, and to-do list platforms.
But, always ask team members which tech would be most beneficial to their work day and stick to a couple of essentials. Let workers opt out of anything they find distracting or unhelpful.
Jane Stoller (Organized Jane) explains that it’s key to be selective when taking on new technology.
“In order to avoid tech and communication overload, first, declutter what you don’t need on your phone and stop all notifications. Keep only the apps that work for you as a preferred form of communication.”
Admin and busy work can consume hours of your employees’ work days—office workers can lose up to a third of their work day to admin.
Employees need the resources to delegate to ensure these tasks get done without sacrificing high-priority work. Help prevent already busy managers from feeling overwhelmed by showing them how to outsource effectively.
Managed virtual assistants are one solution that can take a load off many office workers’ plates. Instead of managing multiple platforms, tasks, and communication streams, workers can delegate these simpler tasks to managed VAs. When employees are free from busy work, they have more time to dedicate to higher-value tasks.
Working with a managed virtual assistant service like Prialto lets you access highly qualified assistants. Prialto handles everything from onboarding, compliance, day-to-day management, and security.
For instance, you could consider monthly budgets for different departments that let team leaders delegate those tedious admin tasks.
As a start, team leaders could outsource the following tasks to virtual asssitants:
When your team is less stressed and has less busy work to complete each day, they’ll be more productive.
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Every workplace is unique. What may boost productivity in one office may not help another. But managed virtual assistant services work well for busy team leaders drowning in time-consuming admin work that doesn’t allow them time to focus on the company.
Want to save thousands of hours every month and eliminate busy work? Find out how Prialto can provide managed admin at scale.
Productivity in the workplace refers to the amount of work that can be accomplished in a work environment over a specific period. When a business operates at full capacity with team members performing at their best, productivity should be at its peak.
High productivity levels help boost team morale and foster a culture of quality within a company. When productivity is optimized, a business is able to grow and achieve its full potential.
Each company can do multiple things to increase productivity in the workplace:
Productivity killers are often specific to individuals — what kills productivity for one person may not be an issue for another. Here are the top five productivity killers likely to slow down most workers: