#Fires: Actively makes its employees lives more difficult thus reducing efficiency

[the-avaricious-meddler]

I also feel like if you told Fires most capitalists don't actually care about actual efficiency and it's just about making as much money as possible regardless of output. It just straight up wouldn't believe you.

[employeesproductivity-blog]

Increasing Productivity of Employees

When it comes to extracting work, many employers misconceive themselves to be a teacher, the kind we meet in school, and their employees as students. But what they forget is that they have passed out of school and so have their employees and subjecting them to high school treatment at work is simply going to make them feel like ‘another brick in the wall’.

There’s no denying that in today’s world of competition everybody is living under immense pressure. The employers citing greater profits, want to increase productivity of employees and hence push them constantly towards working harder.

However, many companies continue to use traditional ways to make their employees work and this has not proven to be effective. When pressure becomes exploitation worker unions go against the employer and declare a strike which results in loss of work. This makes it necessary to reinvent the old methods and think of better ways to increase the productivity of employees even if it means spending some money from their end.

·         Why conventional methods were counter-productive

For a long time these methods were used ineffectively to get work done from employees. However, time has proven these techniques to be redundant and they need a makeover.

Myth: If you can’t get something done in an hour, put in ten more hours!

Fact: Maybe the task is the expertise of another person and you should consider hiring a specialist for the task.

Myth: Can’t solve a problem, make two men work on the same task.

Fact: Adding more people to the team will simply increase the amount of money you pay out as wages. Consider splitting the work in a way that each of them can perform the task better.

Myth: Productivity can be set as a constant and employees should always match up to it.

Fact: There are times when employees can give their best but there are times they simply cannot, during such times when they are unable to give their best, do not create a fuss out of it, be considerate and gently push them to work harder.

Myth: Try to extract work out of employees by threatening to fire them.

Fact: Skill is a rare commodity in today’s world and this means that losing a skilled employee canonly benefit your competitor.

In places where employees are required to apply knowledge of any kind, getting work done through these methods do not only result in reduced productivity but can also affect the quality of work.

Hence employers need to try a different approach to get the maximum out of their employees.

 ·         The Productivity of your Employees will vary. Accept it.

This is especially true when we are talking about workers who sweat it out in a factory. Physical tasks cannot be done with constant strength at every hour of the clock, each day of the week. Fatigue and stress can affect their body over time and this can result in decreased productivity. Hence during such times it is important for the factory owners to give them some rest before making them work again.

However, the productivity of factory workers can still be roughly estimated because they know that working for a certain number of hours in a day is bound to get some predictable output. But in the case of those who rely on knowledge to get work done may have an unpredictable output, for example those working on creation of a software application for business or those into creative processes such as music, art etc.

In such sectors there may be times when the desired result is obtained within a few hours due to a brilliant insight reaching them. On the other hand there may be times when they spend 9 hours gazing dejectedly into the screen with little productivity. While there will be days when they are able to work tirelessly and productively for 12 hours, there may also be some gloomy days where a small mistake can get them caught up and affect their productivity for several hours.

Therefore employers shouldn’t judge their employee’s capability by their productivity on a certain day but over a certain period.

What you should do about it?

Do not make unrealistic plans based on the maximum productivity of yourself or your employees. It may have been the day, the weather was lovely, the birds were chirping a sweet song, there was music in the airand it may or may not happen again. Hence it is wise to create a schedule which takes your average productivity into consideration.

·         Working longer is not working smarter

Most of us replace the need of smart work by working for longer hours to get a particular job done. However longer hours can result in a poor work life balance. A good work life balance helps the employee remain focused and improves the quality of his life as he is able to perform better in all spheres of life.

Initially the ‘working for longer hours’ strategy may pay off but it is not likely to let your quality of work stay consistent over a long period of time. While there will be phases in businesswhen you or your employee work for longer hours it is important to know that it will not always result in increased productivity and that you should relax when it is required.

What you should do about it?

Take breaks in between work and ensure that you are not getting mentally or physically fatigued due to work as this can only be detrimental to your productivity even though you may wish to get the maximum from yourself. Take a vacation from time to time as it can help you unwind and give you the much-required break.

·         Don’t be afraid to Delegate

This tip may sound simple but it may be difficult to implement. It is understandable if you have founded the company and want to be in absolute control of everything that contributes to its growth. There’s a possibility that your company lasts well beyond your lifetime and learning the art of delegation can ensure that it lasts for many more years.

When owners go through every small detail they not only waste their time but also the time of their employees. Instead it is a better idea to give responsibilities to trustworthy and qualified employees in order to ensure that the tasks are handled properly. This will give your employees the opportunity to gain the leadership experience and skills that will ultimately benefit the business.

·         Match tasks to skills

Having knowledge of the employees’ skills and capabilities is essential to make them perform at their maximum efficiency. For example a person who is good at communicating with people, is extroverted and creative in his thought process should be entrusted with the responsibility of pitching ideas to clients. Such people may struggle if they are given a detail-oriented and rule-intensive task.

It is unrealistic to expect employees to be good at every job you have in your organisation and hence it is better to delegate tasks according to the strengths and weaknesses of employees. Such an analysis will help you get the best out of your employees.

·         Efficient communication

Communication is the key to a productive workforce and every manager is aware of this fact. Technology has brought the world closer and now it is possible to connect to a person with just the click of a button (or tap on a screen). While they have made things simpler, a recent study by McKinsey found that employees usually spend almost 28% of their productive time in e-mails. They concluded that if performing their job took up most of their time then sending and receiving emails was the second most time consuming activity for workers.

Hence it would be a good alternative to use social networking tools to encourage more personalised conversations among employees. Another great alternative to e-mails is holding face to face meetings or phone calls which can help  settle a matter faster than e-mails.

·         Have Clear and Focused Goals

If your employees do not have a focused goal in front of them they may not be able to reach their potential in terms of productivity. Hence the primary task of an employer should be to make clear and narrow assignments for their employees. This will let them know what you expect of them and spell out the importance of the task at the same time.

·         Incentivise your employees

An effective way of encouraging employees to push them beyond their limits is giving them a good reason to do so. By offering financial incentives you can recognise the hard work that your employees are putting in to get the job done. Thus appreciating them is a good way to encourage them to work harder and increase their productivity.

There are many ways to reward an employee and to determine what motivates them you should be aware of their individual needs or preferences. For some it can be public appreciation while for a simple soul it may only be a sincere thank you. Here are a few ways that you can try recognising their effort:

Take them for a dinner: Taking employees out for a dinner or lunch can be a great way to socialise with them. Even allowing them to spend some more time with their family can make them feel good about their work.

PTO: Offering your employees some Paid Time Off (PTO) can make your employees extremely happy as this will enable them to spend some time with their family on a vacation.

Sending a Handwritten Note: While this may sound primitive it still works. There is possibly nothing that appreciates a good job better than a handwritten note as people can cherish it for a long time. This shows that you have taken the effort and time to appreciate their contribution to your business.

·         Cut Out the Excess

Allocating small and unnecessary tasks to your employees can divert their attention from the larger picture and hence youshould avoid delegating such tasks to them. Taking a look at the team’s routine will help you get acquainted with the direction that your team is headed in. Hence unnecessary tasks should be cut and they should be made to focus only on those assignments that are of higher priority.

·         Train and Develop Employees

Most companies adopt the method of cutting down or scraping of the training program of their employees in order to save time and money of the company. This is not a good practice as a training program gives them clarity on what to expect in terms of work and also gets them acquainted with the work environment that they are likely to experience. However, learning on the job can backfire and be difficult for some employees. Hence taking an extra day to teach them necessary skills to perform their job can be more effective than workers trying to accomplish a task haphazardly without sufficient guidance.

Once the training has been conducted it is important to encourage the development of an employee. This will enable them to expand their skillset which will eventually help the owner build a more advanced workforce. There are many ways to support development of an employee such as workshops, courses, individual coaching, seminar, shadowing, mentoring or simply by increasing their responsibilities.

·         Catering to their needs

Sometimes you simply need to listen to your employees’ needs to make them more efficient. If you own a factory and your employees are sweating it out in the summer heat then consider options for factory cooling so that they have an environment which is more suitable for working hard. Arrangements such as cold water, refreshment breaks, a recreational space for them to relax in and team building activities can have a significant impact on the productivity of your employees.

While adopting these techniques does not mean that every employee in your organisation will become employee of the month this will ensure that they have the required space to expand the horizon of their knowledge and hone their skills. A lot depends on the personality and intellect of the employees and an employer can only make sure that he creates the right atmosphere for the growth of employees. Because in the growth of employees only, lies the growth of an organisation.