Job Satisfaction & Productivity

There’s nothing more important to a small business than its employees. If your employees are happy, their productivity will increase, and that’s exactly what you need to help your business grow.

Making small changes to habits will drastically improve the levels of productivity and office efficiency in your business. This will allow you to get more quality work done in a shorter period of time as well as reduce the amount of time spent on unnecessary tasks.

 

Importance of Productivity

In order for it to make financial sense for a business to hire employees, employees must produce value for the business that exceeds the cost of employee wages. In this way, an employee is an investment, and the investment should, in theory, provide a worthwhile return to the company. This can only happen if an employee is productive. Thus, the importance of productivity in an organization lies in the difference between an employee making the company profit and the employee costing the company money.

 

Productivity and Effectiveness

A lot of people, even people who regularly discuss workplace productivity, confuse the terms productivity and effectiveness. However, these terms are not interchangeable. Effectiveness is how much effort an employee puts in, whereas productivity is how much work is completed. Some employees can be very productive but not very effective, whereas some employees can be effective without being very productive.

 

How to effectively increase Productivity?

 

1. Be Efficient

Consider how the business is currently operating, and be open to the potential of changing the way employees work. Remember that it’s equally as important to make short-term and long-term lists as it is to prioritize tasks, especially in a small business.

Is there a better way that staff members could structure their day to enable them to achieve their daily goals? Provide each member of staff with a plan and encourage each to make a list to ensure he or she completes prioritized jobs on time and stays on task all day, resulting in efficient working.

2. Delegate

Delegation comes with an element of risk, but increased responsibility is important for improving the morale and job satisfaction of your staff. Give responsibilities to qualified employees that have a proven track record with success in a certain field, and trust that they will perform the tasks well.

If you allow employees the chance to gain skills and leadership experience, it will benefit your company and provide your employees with a sense of achievement and direction in their own careers.

3. Reduce Distractions

Social media can be a huge productivity killer, but it isn’t practical to have a no-phone policy. Instead, try to keep employees focused and engaged while allowing them breathing room.

Encourage employees to turn off their mobiles but take regular breaks during which they can be free to check their phones. This will ensure that the time spent at their desk is more productive.

4. Have the Right Tools and Equipment

Providing employees with the right tools and equipment is important so they can perform their duties efficiently and on time. There’s nothing more counterproductive than spending time waiting for paperwork to print because you haven’t got a fast printing device.

High-quality, modern programs and equipment make a massive difference not only to the workforce but also to how your company is perceived.

5. Improve workplace conditions

Creating a positive work environment more deeply motivates and engages the employees, leading to higher job satisfaction and employee retention within your organization, not to mention less stress among your employees. A healthy office environment can also boost your employees' productivity and reduce your chances of dealing with frequent absenteeism and, in certain industries, workers' compensation and medical claims.

6. Offer Support and Set Realistic Goals

A common problem for managers is having no clear, strong sense of whether their employees are high-performing or not. Help the employees by offering goals that are achievable. Provide clear direction to supervisors and employees to help clarify expectations. This will help to increase their productivity, as they will have a clear focus and clear goals.

7. Practice Positive Reinforcement

Encourage, motivate and reward. Tell employees they are doing a good job and give constructive criticism. Most importantly, offer personal incentives for doing the job well – could they get a free holiday or a free takeout coffee for performing above and beyond their roles?

You should clearly indicate success of one employee to other staff to cultivate a sense of fulfillment to motivate others. When you motivate your employees to work harder and receive rewards in return, they’re more likely to put increased productivity high up on their to-do list.

8. Ensure Employees Are Happy

A stressful workplace will not yield results. Workers that constantly operate under highly stressful conditions are found to be less productive and have higher levels of disengagement and absenteeism … They need to be happy!

Showing employees how much the company appreciates respects and values them on a personal level is gratifying and motivates employees to work hard.

 

When employees are productive, it can increase the company's revenue, and in turn, a company may choose to offer incentives to its employees. Failing to reward a productive staff can demotivate the whole team. If a company shares some of its success with employees in the form of pay raises, bonuses and improved benefits, employees can become more motivated and increase productivity. Additionally, this increased revenue can result in the company growing and bringing on even more employees.

Productive employees can also benefit customers because highly productive employees provide speedier and higher-quality customer service than those who are unproductive. If employees are rewarded for their productivity and are highly motivated, this can result in even better customer service and interactions. Naturally, great customer service can result in customer loyalty and word-of-mouth advertising, which can in turn bring further revenue for the business.

 

References

Harness, J., (2018). The Importance of Employee Productivity. Employee Performance Definition. [online]. Available at: https://bizfluent.com/facts-7218608-employee-performance-definition.html

[Accessed 4 July 2020].

 

Richards, L., (2020). Employee Productivity.  About Employee Productivity. [online]. Available at: https://smallbusiness.chron.com/employee-productivity-2003.html

[Accessed 4 July 2020].

 

Jackson, K., 2020. 8 Ways To Increase Productivity In The Workplace - Business Town. [online] Available at: https://businesstown.com/8-ways-increase-productivity-workplace

[Accessed 4 July 2020].