Secrets Of Getting More Productivity Out Of Your Employees

Getting more productivity from employees is one of the main management functions in the business.

There always comes a time when your leadership is tested with a decline in team productivity. Getting more done in a day is not always the only objective when it comes to productivity.

Productivity is more about doing the right things at the right time in a manner that adds value to your work processes.

This often happens when there are changes within the organization that will require you to get more productivity from your team in order to achieve new goals.

• How important are your employees to you?
• How do you tell employees they need to improve?
• How do you handle an unproductive employee?
• Importance of employee needs
• What are the factors that improve productivity?
• The secrets of getting more productivity from your employees
• Getting more productivity - Summary

How important are your employees to you?

If we look at high-performing organizations it is clear that they are the ones that are employee-focused.

Many of these organizations have long ago realized that their biggest asset is their employees and it is a guaranteed return on their investment.

Attempts to increase productivity ranged from extreme extravagance where it could be afforded to the simple things that matter the most to the average man on the street.

How to get more productive will depend on the leadership's influence on employee behaviour and the past relationship between management and workers.

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Coursera: Managing employee performance

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How do you tell employees they need to improve?

Often the hardest thing for a leader is to tell the employees that they are not performing and that they need to improve. This becomes an even tougher task if you are already achieving goals but need to step up the game.

A true leader will be doing it in a way that employees will feel motivated and inspired instead of feeling criticized or degraded. If there is consistency in performance measurement it is much easier to highlight poor performance.

To have positive outcomes from poor performance discussions it is necessary to have regular feedback communication between leadership and employees. A once-in-a-blue-moon discussion will come across more like a scolding than an inspiration to do better.

How do you handle an unproductive employee?

Before addressing poor work performance with an employee it is necessary for you to get your own house in order first. Always remember that the whole purpose of poor work performance discussions is to have improved productivity as an outcome.

The first thing you can do as a leader is to ensure that you have a performance appraisal policy and procedure in place for all employees. This will set a positive platform for open performance discussions between leadership and employees.

Before jumping into such a discussion it is important to prepare yourself by getting all the facts together and by making sure all the correct tools are in place for the employee to do what you expect as an outcome.

Such a discussion should consist of the following phases:

• Collecting evidence
• Identify anomalies causing unproductive actions
• Ensure that you have the right person
• Decide on the outcome required
• Have a formal discussion
• Highlight substandard conditions or results
• Inform employees of expected outcomes
• Inform the employee of his role and responsibility
• Inform employees of available resources
• Ask the employee if anything else will be needed
• Set a feedback meeting time and date

It is not an easy process and if there is no feedback you will be wasting your time. Stick to your time and date to prove your own commitment to being productive.

Importance of employee needs

To improve the productivity of a team it is very important that you as a leader should understand the basic needs of your employees as individuals and not as a team.

Below are just a few basic needs that most employees are striving to achieve and if they fail it can affect their productivity in a negative way.

• Job security
• A decent standard of living
• A roof over their heads
• The well-being of their family
• Education of their children
• Comfort during retirement

These needs typify the reason why people work and successful organizations managed to recognize them. A good leader will understand the individual's needs and recognize them as the glue that keeps the team motivated enough to be productive at all times.

What are the factors that improve productivity?

In order to improve the productivity of your employees, there are a few factors to be taken into consideration before you consider approaching

• Set clear key performance areas and expected outcomes from the onset
• Train employees continuously on all aspects of the business from day one to the end of time
• Measure employee performance and give feedback on a regular basis.
• Praise and reward outstanding achievements
• Pay them above average and put in place incentive schemes
• Allow enough breaks during work for social interaction
• Respect and honour employees' time with their families and allow them to disconnect from work activities after hours
• Where possible allocate allowances for housing
• Ensure that staff and their families are covered by good health insurance
• Offer bursaries or reward good performance with payment of tuition fees
• Have a well-rewarding provident or pension fund in place for when they have finished giving you years of productivity and made you millions

The secrets of getting more productivity out of your employees

There are really no secrets to getting more productivity out of your team. That is to say, if you have all the basics in place your team should be able to adapt to demands easier.

If you look at successful leadership it comes down to the basics of working with people. The solid foundation of efficient work teams is based on:

• Employee selection
• Engaging employees
• Effective two-way communication
• Acknowledging employee needs
• Development of your employee's skills
• Motivation and reward

Employee Selection

Good leaders will surround themselves with people qualified to do the job they expect from them. It is therefore important to put the organization's needs before the leader's needs.

From the recruitment phase, it is important to ensure that you know what you will expect from a new team member and get the right fit for the task at hand. Too many people in a leadership position will employ people based on personal preferences and then complain later about poor performance.

People employed based on their experience and skills will always be more productive and happy with the role they play as team members.

Engaging Employees

It is important that your leadership encourage employee engagement which can be achieved by:

• Stop micromanaging employees
• Set clear standards for performance during the recruitment drive
• Involve them in team decision making
• Set specific targets and goals
• Delegate tasks and trust it would be done

By giving the employee responsibility and authority you give them ownership of their own performance.

Effective two-way communication

Good leaders have developed the skill of listening more than talking and that is why they are better at decision-making. By listening they have gained the experience that can hold effective teams together when increased productivity is needed.

Communicate clearly and often with your team so that you all remain on the same level of understanding. This type of action will make it easier for your team to understand when it is time to get more productivity out of them.

Putting effective communication structures in place will ensure that your team members adopt a culture of positive participation within the boundaries of a team environment.

Acknowledging employee needs

Contrary to what people tell you, nobody works because it is fun but only because they have to. People work to take care of responsibilities and to have a decent standard of living. For each person, these needs will be different depending on their circumstances and personality.

That is why it is important that you as a leader know the people that work for you and can identify with each individual's needs.

It is the task of a leader to provide employees with a safe and healthy work environment. This includes workplace conditions and the right resources to perform at optimum productivity.

By knowing the employee's needs you will also be able to identify the weaknesses and strengths of the team members. This makes planning and decision-making much easier when it comes to the time you will be needing more productivity from them.

Treat your employees well enough so they don't need to use your internet to apply for jobs - Mark Zuckerberg

Development of your employee's skills

Times change and so do people and that is exactly why there is a need for continuous development in an organization. Although this is an area normally dodged by leadership because of the costs involved it remains a necessity that can't be overlooked.

Your coaching skills will play a big role in identifying where skills development is needed and how the organization will benefit long-term from the investment made now.

Provide employees with the correct training opportunities that will develop the needed skills to strengthen your team. Trained employees are productive employees without a doubt.

Motivation and reward

Constantly motivating your team will also assist in getting more productivity when needed. Encourage your employees enough so that they care about the quality of their work and the importance of their role in the team.

Recognizing good performance should be more important than highlighting poor performance. No employee will refuse a form of incentive as recognition for a task well done.

 

As a leader, you must offer the support your team needs to achieve the goals set because you are part of the team, and when they fail you fail with them.

Getting more productivity - Summary

How to get more productive is a simple process if you understand and respect other people's needs. Getting more productivity from your employees is based on the relationship you as the leader have with them.

Most employees will work only to fulfil their day-to-day needs without having real long-term goals. It is the duty of a good leader to motivate employees to strive for long-term goals and achievements.