In a highly competitive market environment, everyone wants to take as many advantages as they can against their competitors. This can be done by innovating new products that are fresh in the eye of the consumers. Keeping the quality of a product, and in turn, keeping the customers loyal to your brand is also a way to increase the advantage. Clever marketing efforts are good at grabbing customers away from other brands.
A good manager will also know that a competitive edge can be obtained by keeping the office a more efficient and more comfortable working place. After all, the manpower is the company’s greatest assets, and keeping employees motivated means better products, newer ideas, and more innovation for the company. And this is not only applicable for product-based companies. A motivated and efficient workplace keeps the operation smooth and avoids delays or unsatisfactory performance in service businesses.
It is beneficial for a business to get in touch with its employees, give them voices, and listen to their needs. To raise productivity, some distinctions are needed so everyone knows what to do during the daily operation. Here are five things you can do as a manager to ensure that your team is productive and happy in their current job.
5 Ways To Increase Employee Productivity
1. Focus On Specific Goals
When it comes to productivity and success, it is more effective to give your team a clear goal for a certain amount of time (e.g. yearly goals, monthly goals, daily goals). One example of a specific goal is to “raise sales for up to 20% this year”. This will affect the steps that the team will take throughout the year. it is likely that they will try to align their daily goals to contribute to the main goal.
Also, make sure that the goal should not be only specific, but achievable. Will it be realistic to expect a sales increase of 20% this year? Goals that are hard to achieve will just discourage a lot of employees.
2. Motivate Employees With Rewards
Even if there is a specific and achievable goal set for the team, there is no guarantee that they will want to do it. The highest performance you can get from unmotivated employees will be “satisfactory”. Motivating your employees will make them give their 100% to their designated job. A good incentive system will give your company a lot of benefits. However, take note that motivation is not limited to monetary value. A simple word of encouragement, as well as appreciation of work, are great ways to motivate an employee.
3. Practice Good Communication
Always practice good communication habits with your team. The way you talk to them will make a huge difference in their performances. Emails have a lot of advantage as a medium of information and communication for people in far distances. However, this is not a good way to communicate with your employees for announcements, plans for the week, etc. Make sure to communicate in person regularly with your team.
Voice communication is also a more preferred method of conversation if face to face or personal communication is not possible. This is especially useful for offices with several floors and when moving from floor to floor is more counterproductive than you intended it to be. In these cases, a VoIP system is preferred. The best VoIP systems for companies depends on their size. Although bigger companies will have more use of this technology, small and medium-sized business can benefit from this system too.
4. Make Your Process Straightforward
Sometimes, a company’s process can become complicated. This happens when the operation process is very complex and technical. Keeping the process as straightforward and simplified as possible will be the best method. If a process can be cut off from the process tree (e.g. can be answered via automation), then consider choosing that option. Cutting unnecessary tasks will actually make more sense because it reduces the risk of error.
5. Set Clear Task Distinction
One of the most important improvements in small offices is to make sure that everybody knows their tasks. Don’t be afraid to delegate, you don’t really have to do everything. Give responsibilities to the qualified person and check on them regularly.

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