Employee Productivity Ensures Company Success
Employee productivity should and can be maintained and monitored. It is a management function directly tied into employee morale. Employees’ success depends on management support, which in turn yields expected progress, profit, and success.
Employees must be motivated to produce. Old school thinkers believe salary and promotional opportunities create motivation, while new thinking has led many managers to understand that other factors are more motivational in the workplace.
Employees feel good about themselves and their work when a task is completed. If it is completed properly, efficiently, effectively and timely, it is management’s responsibility to encourage the employee to continue on this path and not to veer from it. The power of praise should not be taken for granted.
A simple “great job” more often than not is enough to boost employee production. If results are less than par, a talk with the employee is in order, and hopefully this will resolve any issue.
The job description has the information. But it is up to the manager to explain the particular nuances of the job to the employee, upon hire, throughout the employment, and in particular when and if issues arise. When shadowing is beneficial, provide that opportunity. Training also does the trick.
Be sure to provide your employees with what they need to get the job done. Some obvious tools are a computer, phone, training, and supplies. But there might be things not readily recognized that are needed, such as re-training, or perhaps allowing fellow employees to mentor.
An open door policy is a good motivator and allows employees the freedom to remark about their jobs and enter information and input regarding the job as they see it. Valuable feedback can be gathered with such a policy, as well as through an employee survey.
Employees need to know their jobs. Yes, they read their job descriptions upon hire. They understand the “other projects as required” statement. But it is up to human resources and management to remind employees about the goals. The employee may understand his/her tasks and have the ability, experience and tools to perform them. But management must reiterate the ultimate goal for the completion of these tasks on a routine basis. Remind employees that their individual goals are tied directly into the business plan’s goals.
Providing the type of environment that encourages honesty, and an environment that makes employees feel welcome, safe and wanted, yields the highest performance results. This is key in human resources planning.
Studies have demonstrated that employees are more alive, awake and interested in their work when the environment is physically pleasant, and this may include furniture, lighting, but also trusted co-workers. Be especially aware of an environment, in which negativity has been introduced, typically in the form of a disgruntled employee who can create irreversible damage.
Including employees in providing input and ideas is an excellent motivator, even when all the ideas may not be feasible. Employees appreciate being asked about their experiences and are pleased about management feeling they have valuable skills. Solicit input where it makes sense. Typically an excellent forum is through a confidential survey, or by establishing an “idea box” where employees can place comments confidentially.
Good feedback also can be garnered via exit interviews, when outgoing employees are less afraid to speak up. Chances are the exiting employees are still in touch with some remaining employees, and they can pass the word that their ideas were solicited. And chances are too, that current employees share some of the ideas. Using the input where it is sensible is another motivator, and identifying the source of the idea as well.
In situations where an employee’s productivity is failing, management counseling is necessary. Offer your assistance. Ask what is going wrong and how it can be fixed.
Give the employee a chance to improve his/her performance. Allow for human resources involvement in situations that are beyond basic improvement. Be sure you have a fair, legal and procedural method of disseminating counseling and discipline, and that it is proven effective. Always be clear when discussing issues with employees. Refer to the issue and do not point fingers.