Being productive in business is going to allow your business to be more profitable, however, most businesses stumble when it comes to keeping their staff productive and today we will look at some of the main causes for the lack of productivity in business.
1) Hiring the wrong people
Hiring is difficult and most businesses will hold their hands up and admit they have made some bad hiring decisions in the past. You cant get all of your hires right but you should aim for a 70% hit rate where 7 out of 10 candidates are the right fit. Ideally, you want everyone to fit your company but this often isn’t possible.
When it comes to hiring, hire slow. Take your time and ask as many in-depth questions as possible during the interview. Interviewing is a skill too so take time to invest in training for your employees who are in charge of hiring.
2) Micromanaging the right people
When you hire someone, be sure to let them do the job you have hired them for. Scott from Pink Storage says that “Your staff are the lifeblood of your business, treat them right and your business will grow.” we agree with this statement.
If you micromanage your employees you will slow your productivity and you will annoy your employees too. Eventually, this will lead to your workforce having a high turnover of staff. No one likes being watched over or told how to do their job so take a step back and only intervene if you see that something is fundamentally wrong.
3) Having a cluttered workplace
Some workers thrive in clutter but for the majority of us, clutter is a distraction and puts a halt to any productivity. If you find your workplace is cramped, cluttered or just too small for the number of employees you have then you should consider moving office or putting some of your unneeded furniture into storage.
Storage is cheap and can save you from moving office but it’s only a temporary solution as eventually as your business and team grow you will need a larger office.
4) Lack of training
Technology changes every day and if your employees aren’t keeping up to date with the latest technology and how to use it then they are going to fall behind. This isn’t their fault either, as a business owner you will need to make sure that your employees are trained to use the newest technology and software available in your industry.
Lack of training also causes morale to be low at a company. Companies that don’t train their staff often find themselves losing their employees to other companies that do provide training.
5) Setting unrealistic goals
Unrealistic goals are one of the quickest ways of burning your staff out and causing productivity to hit a standstill. Unrealistic goals will cause your staff to work harder than usual but when they can’t reach the goals you have set it will cause them to become demotivated.
Demotivation kills productivity and any boss that sets unrealistic goals is going to kill the morale and productivity of its workforce.
Setting challenging goals is one thing but unrealistic and impossible goals are another. Set realistic goals and your business will flourish.
6) No time off
Do you give your employees enough time off? If you don’t you will wear them out and you won’t be getting the best out of them. Every employee will become tired and overworked at some point. How you manage the situation will result in how productive your company can be.
Even the hardest workers at your company will need time off so be sure to give your employees time off when they have been overworked or hit a big milestone within the company.
If every project of yours goes to the deadline and your employees don’t get a break in between, then sooner or later they will leave the company.
7) Your staff get no praise
I’ve seen many business owners have the attitude that they pay their staff to do a job and they shouldn’t be praised for it. What business owners fail to understand is that the employee is often asked to work harder than they are getting paid for to hit your business goals and they’re also doing jobs out of their job description to help the company grow.
When an employee has worked hard, worked overtime and generally done more than what you have paid them for a little thank you or a small bonus goes a long way. A bonus doesn’t have to be a cash bonus either, it could be a few paid days off or a small gift such as a spa break.
Often praise doesn’t have to cost anything, it can simply be you recognising the hard work that your employees have put in to make your business a success.
Conclusion
Creating a productive working environment is difficult as there are many things that need to be taken into consideration. If you consider the above points you are on your way to creating a more productive working environment. Failure to take these tips under consideration will lead to an unproductive environment that turns over staff faster than competing companies.
