Get the Most Out of Workplace Productivity
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How would you define your workplace productivity right now? Do you feel that you complete every task you set for yourself, or is it more like responsibilities are spiraling out of control? Productivity in the workplace is arguably the primary measure of success for companies and employees. Even though many professionals aim to stay at a high-performance level, evaluations can vary from craft to craft, especially for those with low deliverables.
What is entirely up to you to improve your productivity as an employee or team manager is the organization, priority, and outline you give to every project. Though there is no magic formula, you can follow several techniques and methods to improve your working style and get more accurate metrics for your productivity output.
What is productivity in the workplace, and why is it important?
Workplace productivity is a math operation where you can evaluate the amount of work you or your team gets done in a certain amount of time. Pretty simple, isn’t it? But what if you start plugging more variables into the equation? For example, the quality of the project delivered, the distractions or obstacles that came up during the working stage, and the well-being of you and your crew. The concept just got more complex, right?
As you’re concluding now, workplace productivity is the standard to measure the performance to complete tasks and reach goals. Basically, you’re evaluating the efficiency a person or team displays at the workplace. The combination of skill set, time management, focus, and motivation will influence an individual’s effectiveness.
The importance of keeping an eye on productivity in the workplace depends on the approach. By evaluating employee performance, teams and companies will have a clearer vision of what they need to set objectives, increase profits, or simply find out what is needed to improve. This will be the x-ray you need prior to making any crucial decisions about your future.
Speaking in terms of individuals, being aware of how productive you are at your job will allow you to achieve more at work, boost your morale, and free up your schedule for personal goals or hobbies. Everybody knows a company where bonuses or other types of incentives are given, and the best way to access these is by keeping your efficiency at an optimal level.
How do you measure workplace productivity?
Many aspects influence productivity; therefore, different variables and methods can be used to define it. The most common way of measuring productivity in the workplace is by comparing the output with the input. Put simply, you’ll compare the expectations before starting the project with its final results.
An essential aspect of measuring workplace productivity is recording every task and everyone’s collaborative performance. In order to evaluate every person fairly, all measurements must be detailed and have clear standards. Here are a few methods you can use to nurture your evaluations.
By objective
This way of evaluating productivity in the workplace focuses on the specific objectives a team sets. Employee productivity is measured according to their target, how they achieve every task, and the contributions toward the general goals of the team or company. If you aim to have an improved performance and detailed results, managers should regularly evaluate the progress of each objective and support resolutions to any obstacles that may appear.
By quantitative productivity
This method for measuring workplace productivity is better for tasks with more standardized or automated processes. This is a straightforward type of evaluation. Employee productivity relies on the number of products, applications, tickets, or calls a worker can process in a certain time. It’s important to consider every factor that influences the results, such as training or troubleshooting times and breaks.
By profit
If you want to evaluate the relationship between your productivity in the workplace and your earnings, this is the perfect method for you. It’s also a simple formula: if your revenue increases, your employees are more productive. If you already identify a rise, you can evaluate which employee or process has had more influence in those outcomes.
How to increase productivity in the workplace
The cost of having disengaged employees is extremely high to ignore. Managers and companies with concrete actions to keep workplace productivity at its peak are more likely to improve both their profits and savings. Less staff turnover and a reduction in other budget areas are a couple of benefits you’ll gain by increasing your productivity in the workplace.
Here are a few tips and techniques you can implement to improve your working style, workplace atmosphere, and other aspects that will upgrade your workplace productivity.
Organize your time
Time is one of the main parameters when evaluating productivity. Therefore, one of the first steps you should take to increase workplace productivity is organizing your schedule and setting exact time frames for your tasks. The Pomodoro technique or the Eisenhower matrix are some time management techniques you can use to break down your tasks and get the most out of your workdays.
Set up your desk
Focus plays a huge part in productivity at the workplace, and every employee is responsible for setting up their workspace to avoid distractions. Remove any temptation or obstacle that may interfere with your work: mobile, social media, hallway chit-chat, etc. Also, organize your desk in order to become more productive; schedule brief breaks or walks, work in intervals, or use any hardware that will keep you focused.
Less multi and more monotasking
This point has to do more with knowing yourself. A common belief is that the more you can multitask, the more productive you will be. Sure, multitasking is a great skill to put on a resume, but sometimes the fastest way to get things done is to focus on one task at a time.
When you work on several things at a time, not only will you restrain yourself from increasing your workplace productivity, but your creativity and efficiency will be reduced since there’s a higher chance of making more mistakes.
Optimize your processes and projects
Work management is another powerful tool to improve your productivity in the workplace, especially because it will help you fill in any gaps you may have in your tasks or processes. The idea is to establish an efficient path for every task to avoid wasting time or causing misunderstanding. Conducting better meetings, setting due dates, defining everyone’s responsibilities, and being accountable are the main actions to take to keep your processes on point.
Try a remote work experience
Many companies are still experiencing the consequences of the abrupt adjustments they were forced to make during the pandemic. These setbacks have caused the biggest surge in workplace productivity in decades. Even though some organizations are still skeptical of the positive effects of remote work, this is turning into one of the most effective ways of improving productivity.
Ironically, working from home is a huge solution for improving your workplace productivity. Whether on a hybrid or fully remote work scheme, employees feel more comfortable and productive when deciding their atmosphere and agenda while working from home. If possible, try to keep your team in the office only for necessary projects and allow them to work remotely for other tasks. You’ll be surprised by what they can accomplish.
When it comes to workplace productivity, you have to hold yourself accountable. You can test out the right atmosphere, take the most effective actions, and still find some bumps along the road. Keep in mind learning curves play a huge role in every team’s and individual’s performance. Working at your peak all the time is hard, so sometimes, you’ll need to take a step back to rest and reevaluate your course of action.
Contributed by Luis Arellano
