Inevitably, a company's results are directly related to the productive capacity of its workers. However, this path to success is not always a straight, short and sunny path . There are many obstacles that can your employees' performance , and it is necessary to find tools and resources that help to contribute to your employees' productivity.
Knowing how to deal with productivity problems is essential for companies to be able to deliver their demands with quality and within the stipulated deadlines. The main point is knowing how to identify how your employees are motivated and what factors may be hindering their productivity .
How to identify low productivity?
Low productivity is easy to notice when managers are well aware of the signs that something is not going well. Businesses with low productivity can lose market position and risk their success due to problems that can be easily resolved. Excessive unproductive meetings, inadequate communication channels, unnecessarily bureaucratic tasks, distractions on the internet... All of this can greatly harm employee performance.
Some signs that your company is suffering from low productivity :
- Delay in delivering daily demands;
- Accumulation of tasks and overload ;
- Recurrent absences;
- Employee delays;
- High turnover rate;
- Drop in the quality of tasks;
- Lack of motivation and commitment;
- Customer dissatisfaction;
- Problems in the work environment. (A good climate in the workplace can make all the difference when it comes to productivity. Understand the relationship between these two factors better here ).
Given these signs, it is important that managers adopt efficient strategies that help employees improve their performance during working hours.
Productivity on the internet: what no one tells you?
We know that the internet has become an indispensable resource for companies in all segments today , and it is practically impossible to find a niche in the market that does not require continuous connection. However, we also know that it is possible to find all types of content in this medium, making the internet a big trap for productivity.
According to a survey carried out by Reclaim.ai , out of a total of 2000 people interviewed, only 12% claim to be productive for a period longer than six hours. The same report also shows that approximately half of working time is actually dedicated to productive tasks, showing that the other half is spent on parallel activities, such as inappropriate access to the internet. This includes personal emails, social networks, entertainment websites and e-commerce sites.
With continuous interruptions and distractions, employees end up failing to meet the company's expectations, having their useful time consumed by external problems.
What can impact the productivity of your employees?
According to research released by the University of Sâo Paulo – USP , a Brazilian professional takes around an hour to perform a task that an American takes just 15 minutes, showing how the productivity of workers in our country is affected. All of these problems mentioned above can cause great damage to your business , so it is essential to look for their respective causes.
In this sense, let’s look at the main causes that lead professionals to produce less:
Position inadequacy
Many employees, although qualified, end up being allocated positions that are not suitable for their profile. For example: placing an extroverted employee in a role where he spends most of his time working alone can cause him to become unmotivated over time and end up producing less.
It is important that the professional performs tasks that are compatible not only with their technical skills, but also with their profile. The more compatible these factors are, the more productive the employee will be , and the better the results will be for the company.
Fatigue
In this sense, we can consider not only the physical exhaustion of employees, but also emotional fatigue. In addition to ensuring an adequate workload, managers need to think about ways to bring better well-being in the workplace.
We need to remember that external factors in employees' personal lives can cause productivity problems within working hours, and it is up to the company to adopt a more human approach to management. Work that involves the physical and mental health of employees can bring several benefits to the organizational environment.
Lack of motivation
Employee motivation can be affected by numerous factors, such as:
- Salary incompatible with the market;
- Lack of benefits;
- Organizational climate with conflicts;
- Communication problems with colleagues and managers;
- Between others.
All of these aspects can be related to engagement problems, making it necessary to have a strong and motivating organizational policy. This policy is much more than just words in a document: all workers must be united in a common goal, interacting in a healthy way.
Lack of investment
Employees are the main asset of a company , as without them nothing would be possible. For this reason, just as the company invests in quality inputs and technological equipment, it is also important to invest in the people who keep the company in business.
Although prior qualification is very important for hiring, it is equally vital that the company has a qualification program that contributes to the development of its most important assets: its employees .
Infrastructure issues
It is essential that the company provides the necessary infrastructure for its employees to deliver the expected productivity. An environment without comfort, tranquility and structure can contribute to productivity problems and increase team dissatisfaction.
Some investments in installation can make all the difference, such as:
Space for rest;
- Dining area;
- Environment without excessive noise;
- Proper cleaning;
- Air conditioning;
- Among other measures.
5 foolproof tips to keep your employees productive
Some often simple tips can completely change the employee productivity scenario:
1. Encourage the participation of all employees
The more heard and welcomed employees feel, the greater the motivation and productivity delivered. Holding meetings where employees can express their ideas and opinions can be very positive for the company.
As they are involved daily in the company's activities and routine, they can present valuable ideas to improve not only the environment, but also to optimize processes.
2. Set goals and deadlines
Goals and deadlines should not be seen as a way to pressure employees, but rather as a way to encourage teamwork . By seeking common goals, employees can help the business maintain greater performance and bring more profitability to the business.
However, these goals must be achievable and realistic, so that motivation is not affected. If employees are frequently unable to achieve goals, they may feel incapable and undervalued.
3. Value the importance of feedback
And no, we're not talking about just getting the employee's attention when something isn't done as expected or when a mistake is made. It is extremely important to value good work and make sure your employee knows what they are doing well and is able to keep their motivation always high.
This feedback must happen periodically and, when done correctly, can contribute to the development, improvement and productivity of your workers. They function as a way of demonstrating how attentive the company is to the performance of everyone involved and help to bring increasingly better results to the business.
4. Count on the help of technology
Technological tools can bring great benefits to a company's productivity, helping to eliminate excess bureaucracy and bring more practicality to the routine. Furthermore, by facilitating the execution of tasks, managers can considerably reduce errors and failures resulting from inadequate processes and optimize tasks.
Management systems enable process mapping and more assertive monitoring of everything that happens within a business.
5. Eliminate distractions
In addition to constant interruptions (unscheduled appointments, constant phone calls, external noise, among others), the online environment also represents a major trap for employee productivity. Improper access, such as social networks, entertainment sites, online stores, etc., ends up taking up a lot of time during working hours, hindering the execution of tasks that are truly relevant to the business.
For this reason, it is important to have an efficient Internet Use Policy, which helps employees understand the importance of conscious use of the company's internet.
But, how to guarantee productivity on the internet?
Often, simply having an Internet Usage Policy is not enough, and managers need to take more assertive and efficient measures to ensure the correct use of the company's Internet . In this case, it is necessary to use a reliable internet access control system that can deliver all the resources the company needs.
One of the best tools on the market is the Lumiun Box . With it, your company will be able to increase productivity and ensure more intelligent use of this important resource, the internet. See some of the benefits:
- Prevents attacks on the company's network and systems, adding a strong layer of protection against various types of viruses and malware;
- Helps reduce lost productivity and wasted time during working hours by blocking access to inappropriate websites during working hours.
- Consolidates realistic information about Internet use in the company, offering reports that inform which sites are most accessed, times, site categories, etc.
- Helps implement an internet access policy, with personalized rules based on website category, security and reputation levels, and schedules.
- It has an intuitive and easy-to-use control panel;
- Provides a safer network , preventing improper access and cyber attacks;
- Allows more assertive control of internet access, classifying them according to security levels;
- It does not require the configuration of servers and special software, as it is a cloud-based technology;
- Access rules apply to all devices that are connected to the company network
If productivity is being a problem in your business, count on Lumiun Box to help you achieve all of your company's goals!
