Productivity Problems? Fix These 6 Workplace Issues

Successful organizations all have one thing in common – productive employees. Productivity is a vital metric that means the difference between organizations that are thriving and those that simply can’t keep up. What factors influence productivity within your company? These 6 workplace issues are certainly changing the productivity levels in your company.

1. Poor Work Environment: One of the biggest workplace issues that lead to lowered productivity levels is the poor work environment. The work environment includes lots of aspects like lighting, office equipment, and even the furniture your employees use on a daily basis. It also includes the atmosphere of your employees’ workspace, though. If lots of cooperation, empathy, and healthy competition aren’t happening on a regular basis, you may find employees who are struggling with productivity. Fortunately, building a healthy environment is a fairly simple fix. Create an atmosphere that includes values like cooperation and teamwork. Make sure they’re part of your entire organization’s culture and advocate for them regularly. The safer your employees feel, the more likely they are to excel.
2. Lacking Processes: If your company doesn’t already have the right processes in place, you’re going to see productivity issues. A process is a fairly simple idea – it’s just a defined set of steps for a given task. Good processes, though, are tough to actually define. They’re the result after lots of trial and error, and putting the right ones into place for your organization means employees don’t have to waste time figuring out what to do. They can just execute the tasks at hand. For example, imagine your HR team struggles every time a new hire is made. With better onboarding processes, this will never be an issue. To fix this problem within your company, consider the tasks that are most likely to create issues for employees. Is there a process that could go into place to make that easier? If so, do what it takes to implement that process.
3. Inadequate Equipment: What do your employees need most to do their jobs well? If they don’t have access to the equipment they need to perform well, you’re going to find productivity issues. Whether that’s better smartphones, tablets, or simply productivity software that can help them understand where to turn next, equipment issues rob companies of time every single day. There’s an easy fix here – survey your employees to better understand what they need to complete every task. Routinely ask for wishlists. While you don’t have to make every purchase, evaluate the ones that could impact your company’s productivity.
4. Ineffective Goals: Clearly defined goals can boost productivity throughout your workspace because they’re a clear measure of how you’re doing as a company. What if your organization doesn’t have clearly defined goals, though, or they have goals that are seemingly impossible to measure? That has a real impact on productivity. Ensure all of your employees not only understand the company’s goals, but also the best way to reach them. Involve employees in new goal-setting tasks, and clearly define the process necessary to reach those goals.
5. Ignoring Burnout: The physical and mental health of your employees matters extensively. Wondering why? Happy, healthy employees have the resources necessary to invest time and effort in your company, and that helps them focus clearly. Sure, employees who are sick and stressed will eventually finish their work, but they’re going to work longer hours to do that, and that could lead to delayed deadlines and even the loss of an employee. There’s an easy fix – create an employee wellness program that pushes employees to take care of themselves. Consider adding healthy food options to your cafeteria and vending machines. Create company-wide fitness goals and offer free gym memberships or extra time during the day for employees to hit the gym. Offer enough sick days and even mental health days that employees feel like they can walk away for a bit to recharge their batteries. You’ll not only find greater productivity throughout your offices, but you’ll humanize your brand in the process.
6. Mediocre Training: How prepared are your employees for their jobs? Productivity relies on job preparedness. Untrained or poorly trained employees have no sense of what they should be doing or how they can do it. They can spend as much time on every task as they want, but if they don’t know how to actually complete the task, it’s not going to move your company forward any faster. Offer all of your employees the advanced training they need. Sure, those role-specific instructions you already offer are important, but advanced training means they understand where you’re going and how they can help you get there. Set aside time and money to ensure every employee is as well trained as possible in his or her job. You’re certain to be rewarded with higher productivity levels.

Employee productivity matters extensively to the growth of your company. Building the right environment, though, isn’t an easy task.

Consider investing in business coaching services to help you identify the workplace issues that are impacting your employee productivity levels now.