Productivity is a battle for many people; there are many things that can derail a project or task. These things are not always easily remedied, but there are some things that can be done both on an employers’ part and an employees part to up productivity levels in the workplace. Simple adjustments can be incredibly effective in making your daily workflow more productive.
What is Productivity, and how is it Measured?
Productivity is hard to define in clear terms, and it is most commonly defined as the state or quality of being productive. Some people define it as a measure of efficiency; it is a gauge of the output that results from units of input. So, in more understandable terms, it is how much work you can get done within a workday and the variables that affect this. It encompasses time management and organisational skills used to prioritise and complete projects and assignments throughout the workday. It is measured by your output, how much you are able to achieve on any given day and why this changes.
How Can Employers Help?
Productivity is an incredibly personal process, and things that motivate one person may not work for another. That being said, there are a couple of things that an employer can do to help boost the productivity of their staff. First and foremost,do the staff have all the equipment that they need? This can be health and safety equipment such as protective workwear or simply equipment that would make their daily lives easier,such as computer programmes or systems to streamline processes within the business. Of course, this depends on the industry within which the business operates; for example, any businesses in the trades would benefit from proper workwear. Snickers Direct are an online retailer that sells a huge range of workwear and accessories from different types of work trousers to safety boots to hi-vis. You should consult their website first when looking for workwear for you or your staff.
Some employers have also seen huge upturns in productivity when a reward or bonus system is implemented. It makes the workplace more competitive and makes the staff strive to achieve more. The rewards and bonus can be small as sometimes the recognition and appreciation alone are enough. Set targets and objectives; these can be weekly, monthly, biannually, or whatever time measure works best for your business. These targets give the staff something to strive for,and they get a reward for achieving them too. It’s a win-win.
How to Boost Productivity as an Employee
There are several techniques that a touted as game-changers for people looking to be more productive not only at work but in their lives in general. Firstly, focus on one task at a time, it can be tempting to want to juggle several projects or tasks, but they all suffer. When trying to concentrate on more than one thing at once, a lot of time is spent transitioning between them, which results in wasted time and often, each task is completed to a lower quality than if you had simply focussed on one.
It is also important to make sure that you take regular breaks. When you avoid taking breaks, it can slow your productivity by fatiguing your brain and leading to burn-out in some cases. Burn-out is the kiss of death in terms of productivity; it drains away all energy and motivation. Schedule in some quick breaks throughout the day. They allow you to recharge and clear your mind so that you can go back to work feeling refreshed and ready to tackle your next task.
Some people struggle knowing where to begin, and this dithering wastes time and impacts productivity. Instead, try to prioritise your tasks either in order of importance or undertaking. Some people like to do the most important or pressing tasks first, and other people like to do the biggest tasks first to get them out of the way. Come up with your own metrics on how you like to prioritise your daily tasks and follow this every day to eliminate unnecessary faffing.
Lastly, try to limit your interruptions because they can lead to distractions and get you side-tracked. Building a rapport or relationship with colleagues is important, but they can sometimes hinder your workflow. Consider implementing some strategies to limit these interruptions. If you work in an office, maybe shut the door for a portion of the day. If you work in an open-plan office, try noise-cancelling headphones for a couple of hours a day. Try to find a polite way to show your colleagues that you need to concentrate.
In Conclusion
Try to find the methods that work for you, as everybody is different, and everyone’s brains work differently. When you have found something that works, it is important to be consistent with it. Allow yourself to learn and develop your skills as you go, and your productivity will continue to improve too.
