Britain needs to be more productive, we often hear. But what does that mean? Do you know if your staff are productive, or even yourself? Here, we ask productivity professionals their thoughts on understanding what it means for you and your business, and how to measure and improve it.
Improving productivity isn’t about trying to force yourself or team members to work harder, through micro-management or by encouraging a culture of long hours. This will only hinder productivity because in negative workplace cultures, absenteeism, presenteeism (when people hang around longer than required to simulate working hard), disengagement and high staff turnover are more likely to be rife.
A key ingredient to increasing productivity is effective staff appreciation, as workers who feel recognised for a job well done will always deliver more than expected. Appreciation also drives competitive spirit and this brings with it productivity gains.
“An athlete competes for the glory that comes with public recognition,” explains Robert Ordever, executive director at employee recognition company OC Tanner Europe. “Workers in every day jobs are similar – working hard in order to feel appreciated, valued and respected is typical, and providing this results in an engaged, motivated and productive workforce.”
Productivity improvements also rely heavily on innovation, and if you recognise the efforts that people are putting in, they then tend to be more proactive in coming up with new products, services, or ways of working. Thus, reckons Ordever, appreciation drives innovation.
Many businesses scrimp on office space and workplace environment, but this is a false economy according to Tim Oldman, founder and CEO of employee and organisational performance firm Leesman. Doing so creates “toxic workplaces” where the environments fail to support people in the role they’re employed to undertake. “Many employers are still failing to recognise the role of the office and how it supports the way people work,” he says.
People can’t work productively if they’re ‘elbow-to-elbow’ with their colleagues; nor can they collaborate or communicate with each other effectively if the technical systems in place aren’t adequate. Employees need a variety of spaces with a range of environments, as well as the freedom to choose an appropriate work setting for the task at hand, suggests Oldman.
“Employees who work in an activity based way, in environments developed to support that workstyle, report higher levels of satisfaction and are more likely to report that the workspace enables them to work productively.”
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