Top Five Tips for Maximizing Employee Productivity
By Jamie Danziger
With the Labour Day weekend now behind us, summer will officially come to a close in just a few days – a season where productivity is known to wane as people’s attention shifts to the nice weather outside. But while summer is definitely one of the times productivity lulls are most noticeable, these peaks and valleys happen year-round and they can have a definite impact on company performance if not managed and addressed.
You can’t necessarily avoid productivity dips altogether, however there are things you can do to derive value out of such situations. Here are 5 tips for boosting overall productivity by taking action in unproductive situations:
1. Increase productivity by closing down
Recognize instances when productivity typically drops and turn them into opportunities to give something back to your employees to increase retention and build your employer brand. No matter how aligned to corporate goals your employees are, everyone deserves a break. Instead of accepting low productivity as a symptom of preoccupied employees, take charge and allow your employees to leave if they’re not focused.
For instance, try closing down the office a half day in advance before long weekends. My experience is you actually get a lift in productivity not only the day before the long weekend but during the whole week before as employees realize their week will be shortened and work diligently to get things done so they can take advantage of the offer.
2. Delegation
Don’t fall into the trap of having employees who aren’t on vacation stymied by waiting for feedback and/or approvals. Make sure employees who will be away effectively delegate and brief those covering for them, so that decisions and progress can be still be made on projects and other deliverables. It’s discouraging for employees who want to get things done (your “A Players”) but can’t move forward.
3. Plan in advance
Ensure proper coverage during vacations. Don’t sacrifice customer service or product quality by having limited coverage. Just like the situation described above with employees being slowed down or stopped, customers don’t want to be told that they can’t receive the level of service they deserve due to employee vacation time. Don’t get caught on this at the last minute either - ensure that your managers are discussing vacation times with their teams well in advance. Making others aware of when people will be away, allows them to prepare and make adjustments so that productivity doesn’t suffer.
4. Clear off the Backburner
Don’t deny it – for many companies, there are slower periods during they year and it’s just a reality of the business cycle. That doesn’t mean you have to sit idly by and do nothing while you wait for business to resume its normal pace. Use the time wisely to advance corporate and office projects that you might not otherwise have time for – things that aren’t primary business activities but that help further the company along in other ways.
It may be an office or warehouse cleanup, a friends & family inventory sale to move old stock, an office move, writing/blogging or getting caught up on work, just to name a few. Throughout the year there are many initiatives that companies would like to do but just don’t have the time for. Use slower times to tackle some of these projects so that employees can dedicate themselves to core business activities when things pick up again.
5. Give to Get
Again to increase retention, consider employee gift and rewards programs to recognize your employees. Adjust your budget accordingly to match your current performance, though studies have proven that it truly is the thought more than the gift that counts. If business is down, consider small gifts like a movie pass. If you have more in your budget, increase the value of the gift and/or tie it into a celebration. Whatever you do, make sure you incorporate storytelling so that everyone shares their experience.
Get Creative to Keep Productivity High
Slower periods are simply a reality of business – they’re going to happen so make the best of them and try to counter the effects of the traditional productivity loss. Try incorporating some or all of these ideas into your corporate culture and watch the positive effect and increase in productivity. Think of your own ideas as well – every company culture and group of employees is different and as such will have different motivators.
In addition, adopting an innovative approach to managing productivity also helps to reinforce your company’s positioning as an employer of choice – one that strives to get the most out of its employees by recognizing that down-time is inevitable, unproductive and costly and that time away from the office is valued by and needed for your employees.
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As VP, Operations, Jamie Danziger plays a key role in the on-going growth and success of IQ PARTNERS.
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