carl
Staff productivity defines the success of your business in many ways. Improving efficiency can save you time and money, and helps to foster an environment that encourages collaboration, innovation and brand loyalty. Ensure you consider these often overlooked factors when honing your business operations to help maximise employee efficiency and consequently your success.
- Workplace environment
The design of a workspace does more than set the aesthetic—it dictates how people function. Aim to create an environment that enables employees to work at their best every day.
Cluttered, noisy, or poorly lit spaces slow concentration and drain energy, limiting productivity. However, segregated spaces or constant home working can equally impact efficiency. Opting for an open-plan layout for offices encourages collaboration but ensure there are designated quiet areas and enclosed soundproof meeting rooms for private conversations.
Embrace natural light as a means of improving mood and maintaining focus, and to safeguard against eye strain. Complement this with oxygenating plants and ergonomic furniture which ensures comfort and skeletal support, warding off sluggishness and fatigue. You should also upgrade your central heating system with new boilers and a sensitive smart thermostat that lets you optimise the temperature to avoid the distraction of staff being overly cold or warm.
- Flexibility of arrangements
Rigid schedules don’t always translate to productivity. Forcing employees into a fixed routine that doesn’t suit their natural working rhythm leads to inefficiency in most. As far as possible, give staff the freedom to design their day so they can tackle the most challenging tasks in their personal productive windows. Flexible working hours, as long as they don’t threaten team collaboration, can help employees optimise their schedule.
Daily commutes can be fatiguing and disruptive, so give the option of working remotely where appropriate. This builds trust and gives employees more time to recharge each day providing a greater work life balance, improving job satisfaction which has been shown to increase productivity. Many employees perform best with a blend of remote and office days, so consider offering hybrid roles where appropriate to boost morale while maintaining structured check-ins.
- Mental health & wellbeing
When employees feel overworked or unsupported, several things are impacted including their motivation, creativity, happiness and energy levels, all of which hinder efficiency. It can lead to more serious issues too including increased absenteeism, high staff turnover and damage to your company’s reputation. Safeguarding mental health is key to efficiency and engagement.
Before you set about designing wellness initiatives, do a survey to find out your staff’s key stressors and plan benefits that target those issues. You are legally bound to support their mental health at work, and this ensures you’re upholding that requirement to the best of your ability. Employees that feel seen and heard by their employer are more likely to work well.
In general, encourage employees to take regular breaks and periodic time off to prevent burnout. Offer work socials in addition to standard annual leave to encourage team bonding so staff feel more comfortable working together. Prioritising staff well-being helps ensure continued commitment, and an experienced workforce with specialist knowledge that can get more done in the time.
