As this blog has pointed out before, the role of HR professionals (particularly CHROs) in the workplace is changing and expanding. They are increasingly coordinating with managers and executives to develop company policies.
For instance, as an HR professional, you could help executives at your company to identify ways to increase employee productivity. Implementing the right solutions would not only provide you with a competitive advantage, but it might also yield additional benefits such as increased employee engagement.
The following are a few ideas to consider if you’re looking for ways to help your company’s employees to be more productive. Discuss them with other high-ranking executives to determine if any are right for your goals.
Offer the Proper Training
This is an example of a way you can boost employee engagement while also increasing productivity. Quite simply, employees feel more engaged with their roles when they believe they have the skills necessary to succeed. Ambitious employees also tend to be more engaged when they are regularly provided with opportunities for growth.
That’s why it’s important to consistently provide employees with opportunities to participate in training programs. For those who are concerned that they lack crucial skills, training can ease their worries by helping them fill in the gaps. For those who are confident in their abilities but unsure that they will have the chance to move up at the company, offering training programs will make them aware of opportunities for advancement.
There’s no reason why some of those training programs cannot focus on the how to be more productive. This is a training session in which many employees would probably like to participate. Rather than focusing on a skill that may not be relevant to everyone’s duties, your employees should be encouraged to develop skills that all workers need.
Encourage Managers to Recognize Accomplishments
Relying on basic psychological principles is an easy way to help your employees get more work done.
Surveys indicate that employees are more engaged and motivated when they are recognized for their contributions. Some even claim this is a more motivating reward than financial compensation. When an employee is praised for an accomplishment, they will want to continue working toward similar accomplishments in the future.
You simply need to make sure managers understand this. They also need to understand they can’t “play favorites.” When you encourage managers to focus more on recognizing employee accomplishments, make sure to emphasize the need to be consistent. All employees should be acknowledged when they make worthwhile contributions.
Consider Purchasing New Tools
A qualified and dedicated team still needs the right tools to live up to its full potential. Thus, you might consider coordinating with executives to research time management and productivity tools that you could provide to employees. For instance, there are several programs and apps that monitor how people use their time while they’re working on a computer. While it’s important to make sure employees understand these apps will not be used by management to keep track of how they spend their days, providing access to them could help your employees identify areas where they are wasting time.
Additionally, with remote work on the rise, employees at your company may not always be sharing an office together. This can make it difficult for them to be as efficient and productive as possible when they need to collaborate on projects. You could address this by purchasing new communication programs designed specifically for collaboration among remote employees.
Work is changing. The tools your employees use to get their work done also need to change.
Have a Purpose
This is another instance in which it helps to apply psychology. Basically, according to some psychological principles, there are only so many “perks” you can offer that will motivate employees once their basic needs are met. While higher pay and new office amenities are nice, they don’t fulfill a psychological need that is often overlooked in the workplace: the need for meaning.
People want their jobs to provide meaning. When their work gives them a sense of meaning and purpose, they will become much more engaged with it. That passion leads to greater productivity.
You can achieve these results by focusing on developing and communicating the organization’s mission to all employees on a regular basis. From company newsletters to training sessions, make sure the higher-ups know they should take every opportunity to remind employees why their work matters. They’ll be much more inclined to deliver the best work possible when they know they are actually helping the company achieve a worthwhile goal.
This is crucial. Too many companies make the mistake of treating productivity as something that needs to be measured through a one-size-fits-all approach. Or, worse, they believe boosting productivity involves being hard on employees until they burn out.
That doesn’t need to be the case. The best way to improve productivity is to do so in ways that involve engaging employees. This approach will yield the greatest benefits in both the short and long term.