Is your business lagging behind? This becomes even more frustrating as a new business owner if you can’t see what it is that’s causing the problem. It may well be that your productivity levels aren’t as high as they could be. So, how can you change this? Everyone wants to get the most out of their employees. But nobody wants to act like a slave driver. Don’t worry, there are plenty of ways to increase both productivity and employee satisfaction. These 5 tips will have your office running like clockwork in no time.
Reward and Motivate
If your employee is doing something right or performing particularly well at a given time, make sure they know it. There are few better ways to make an employee feel wanted and recognised by the company than giving them bonuses or extras when they exceed your expectations. Don’t make the rewards boring though. If the reward isn’t something the employee wants, it could just feel like a slap in the face. Think outside the box!
Hand Over Responsibility, But Don’t Interfere
People love feeling like the job they’re doing is important and worthwhile. Try delegating to your staff and in turn they will work harder to prove to you that you made the right decision. Once you’ve let go of the reigns though, don’t keep going back and interfering with their work. If you do this, the whole thing will just seem like it was a token gesture.
Provide Healthcare Cover
Offering healthcare cover to your employees not only benefits them, but your business too. Remember, a happy worker is a hard worker and the same can be said for a healthy worker too. It doesn’t benefit you if they have to take time off to see a doctor. You could even harness the power telehealth. This allows employees to get medical help without physically going to a doctor. Allowing for exercise breaks during the day also improves fitness and could benefit the company, in the long run.
Make the Office More Relaxed, But Goal Driven
People should enjoy coming to work and be happy spending the day there. If they aren’t, it won’t be long before their productivity levels begin to drop. This can be avoided by making the office a more fun place to be. Nobody wants to spend all day in a stuffy oppressive office. Play some music; allow people to take breaks now and then. You should make sure each employee has goals and target to meet, so productivity isn’t hit by the newly relaxed environment.
Organise Out of Hours Activities
Obviously, any out of work activity you organize has to be done on a voluntary basis. Don’t pressure or coerce anyone. But you’ll find that lots of people will grab the opportunity to go out for drinks or food with the team. Don’t be afraid to start up regular clubs either. You could have a book club or a film club that meets up once a month. It would be informal and promote communication and team building.
