Staff wellbeing: 5 ways to improve employee productivity
Our staff are our greatest assets. After all, we build and grow our companies through their productivity and dedication. And feeling (and being) productive is important for our staff’s wellbeing, so better productivity benefits employees and employers.
But there’s a difference between maintaining high productivity levels and working your employees to the bone. Let’s look at how ethical, caring employers can improve employee productivity the right way.
5 ways to improve employee productivity
Improving your staff’s productivity is a multi-pronged challenge that requires examining your business, management styles, company culture, and much more. Here are just a few ideas help you start improving productivity in your workplace.
Focus on training
Well-trained staff can achieve more in their day than those with less experience and knowledge. And employees who are given opportunities for professional development tend to be more motivated and satisfied at work.
So, try to find the right kinds of training to help your staff learn new skills, try new processes, and continue their professional development. You could offer monthly training sessions on new types of technology or public speaking. Even mental health training courses are a great way to keep your employees learning at work.
Focus on culture
Your corporate culture can greatly impact your staff's productivity levels. So it’s important to create the ideal atmosphere and culture to let your employees achieve their potential.
Having a productivity-focused culture can be healthy but you need to have balance. Staff who are burned out can’t achieve the productivity you’re looking for.
Instead of pushing a productivity-above-all-else agenda, work to empower your employees. Ask how they work best and what will make it easier for them to do their best.
It’s also essential to remind your staff that taking breaks from work is important for productivity. Encourage them to switch off at the end of each day and be sure they’re using their allotted holidays.
Make sure the workloads are balanced
Nobody can be truly productive when they’re overwhelmed. Rather than starting their workday focused and enthusiastic about the day’s tasks, overloaded staff will approach their tasks with anxiety and trepidation.
Too much work can also mean that workers struggle to prioritise their workloads. They will struggle to decide which task is the most important and can lose significant amounts of time and energy task-switching to try to keep everyone happy.
Even when things get busy, try to ensure everyone has a manageable workload. It’s also helpful to be clear about your priorities, so everyone knows what absolutely needs to get done first and what can wait until later.
Puppy therapy
Many companies might assume that asking their employees to play with puppies during their workday would drag down productivity levels. But actually, the opposite is true.
Puppy therapy reduces cortisol levels, which means less stress. Taking a break from work to spend time with playful puppies can help staff concentrate longer, make better decisions, and develop creative solutions to complex problems. These are all key ingredients for great productivity.
Puppy therapy is also an effective way to help create relationships between staff members, improving their working relationships and promoting collaboration between workers with different experience and skill sets.
Keep lines of communication open
Any healthy relationship relies on clear, honest, and open communication and our working relationships are no different. Ensuring that your employees feel safe communicating their genuine thoughts and feelings is critical for improving productivity and workplace satisfaction.
Remember that the expert on any task is almost always the person who does it daily. This means you have an entire workforce of experts in their own particular areas. So encourage them to share their thoughts and suggestions!
Workers want to be productive, but manual processes and duplicated efforts often get in the way of productivity. No one likes spending their time doing things the long way or having to reinvent the wheel.
So ask them for their suggestions about what’s working and what’s not in their daily tasks. You might be surprised at the range of impressive ideas and suggestions you receive.
Learn more about the benefits of puppy therapy
If you want to learn more about how to get the most out of your amazing staff and encourage them to have a great time in the office, Paws in Work can help. Our puppy therapy events boost productivity, improve employee wellbeing, and add a little fun to the workday.
Contact us today to book your puppy therapy event, and then ask your employees what else you can do to help them be more productive.
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