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How to successfully overcome poor productivity in the workplace

Productivity is a measure of how effective the inputs put in place are contributing towards the final output. Low productivity in the workplace can have critical effects on a company. Therefore, coming up with ways to deal with low productivity is a step in the right direction.

Here are some steps to take to help combat poor productivity in the workplace;

1. Human approach

All employees of a firm are human beings. They should therefore be treated with politeness and respect. All their efforts should be identified and appreciated, as treating employees as valued human beings will have a positive effect on their productivity. Additionally, a trustful and cooperative environment should be created in the workplace towards this end. Employees will work hard knowing they are appreciated by their employer.

2. Worker participation in management

Employees represent a very important part of each and every company. Involving them in the governing of the company is highly important as it gives them the feeling of ownership and pride, because they know their employer listens to them. This boosts their morale and creates harmony in the workplace.

3. Install planning software

A planning software program is one of the main tools introduced in recent years that boosts the morale and productivity of employees. Employees can keep track of the various projects being worked on in the organisation and can easily allocate resources and keep track of the various projects being carried out.

Dependencies between the various projects being carried out can be easily identified and addressed systematically. Also, portfolios of the firm can be reviewed on a regular basis and altered to maximise efficiency.

4. Accountability

Every worker needs to be accountable for his or her actions and decisions in the course of carrying out their responsibilities. This will ensure that no one will shift the blame and will allow you to easily find the source of the problem. Accountability will promote cautiousness and eliminate recklessness in the workplace. This will prevent abuse of power in management as everyone carries their own cross.

5. Demanding realistic targets

When setting targets, employers should always come up with realistic and achievable targets. Unrealistic targets have negative effects on the morale of the employees because they are stretched beyond what can be reasonably expected of them. Evaluating the workforce is key when formulating the targets of a company. Achieving the targets raises the morale of staff, and coming up with realistic targets will drive all the efforts of the employees towards the company’s achievement.

5. Team work

Team work always has a positive impact on the productivity of employees. It creates more input in form of more minds at work as well as more ideas. Successful team building will help in bringing out the best in each employee. Also, team work creates favourable competition among the employees and this competition will in turn enhance their productivity, which in the end benefits the entire firm.

6. Preventing monotony through job rotation

Most employers assign responsibilities according to the competence of employees. However, an employee can get bored by doing the same thing year in year out because his or hers work becomes monotonous. This can be solved by giving employees new responsibilities and exposure to other departments of the organisation. This ensures they learn and get a holistic view of the business.

Monotony is one of the major causes of low productivity among employees. Job rotation will keep all the employees on their toes and enhance their participation in many different activities, helping them to fight monotony at work.

7. Courses and improvement options

Enhancing the skills of the employees is key in improving their productivity. Additional training opportunities financed by the employer will make them feel indebted for the resources being spent on them. They feel obliged to perform better by employing all the skills and knowledge gained in these courses. Plus, it’s a no brainer that having a skilled workforce improves the productivity of a company.

8.  Performance appraisal

Carrying out regular evaluation of the performance of employees is vital in ensuring that hard work is rewarded. It ensures that strengths and weakness of the employees are identified and action is taken before it’s too late. Rewarding better performers has an effect of improving their productivity. Fair rewarding of employees based on their effort encourages them to work even harder and thus contribute positively to the overall productivity of the company. Through evaluating the performance of the various employees, efficiency of each one of them is identified and recognised.

Don’t keep putting the issues of low productivity to the side and take action today with some of the above methods.