How to Improve Productivity in Your Team
Keeping your team motivated is the key to your business success. Establishing a connection and creating positivity around your work environment not only makes your job easier but ensures that everyone is in it together.
The productivity of your team is part of your business culture. It’s a combination of how and when you engage, what the tasks are, and a collective attitude to the job at hand. Your team’s productivity can also be influenced by what you, as an individual, do and how you do it. As the saying goes, there is no ‘i’ in team – there is no ‘u’ either!
Consider some of these game-changing tips for productivity;
Shorten and Spike Meetings
Long, unproductive meetings bring down your team’s enthusiasm for work. The lack of resolution can bring the libido down and suck all of the energy needed to complete tasks. In the office, it can take your team from having a productive day to a sleepy day.
For remote teams, this can be a big defining factor of how employees associate with your business. Remote workers may interact with their team face-to-face once or twice a week. If those interactions are long, drawn-out meetings that are not relevant to them, they are going to start to feel like a spare part.
Plan meetings and cut short any unnecessary rambles. If this is one person, in particular, don’t hesitate to inform them. When you plan your meetings, make sure everyone is involved and that you are talking about their work to retain attention. Meetings are a time to catch up on happenings all across the business.
Re-Evaluate Your Software Selections
The systems that workforces operate on are changing rapidly. From content management to AGILE workflow systems and chat software, the days of emails and spreadsheets exist, but they are no longer sufficient. Cancel out the time setting up your workflow systems by using pre-established software instead.
To get the best out of the software available, you have to know what matches your business approach. Hire someone with a CSAM certification, or ask a member of your team to take the course. They can evaluate what will best suit your work style and advise on any alterations required to maximize productivity.
Encourage Breaks
A burnt-out team is not just unhappy, but it’s unhealthy. Squeezing the most out of your team is not sustainable, or the key to your business success.
Adding break times to your team culture is not limited to lunchtime. It should be spread out across the day. Whether that’s stopping to play five minutes of trivia, encouraging a quick set of jumping jacks in the breakroom or telling someone who worked late last night to take a walk: the brain needs a timeout!
Be Creative
The beauty of having a team hired for different roles is that they all have different interests and ways of expressing themselves. Use this to your advantage to create a team where each individual feels valued. Engage through asking someone’s opinion on something or scheduling time to share projects that have been completed that week to celebrate your team’s differences. Moments like these are great motivation to be productive!
Creating a focused environment with collective passion and value is the key to productivity. Experiment with these tips to make cultivate a well-balanced and active work culture.
