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All business owners in the world dream of increased productivity, but many wonder how to do that. Often enough, managers look at massive layoffs and making the remaining staff work harder, but this is only a short-term solution. And, yet, there are many other steps you can take to improve performance. Here are a few tips.
Hire a business analyst
When you’re the one in charge, you’re so used to the way things go in your company you fail to see the obvious problems. One easy solution is to hire a business analyst, an independent contractor who can take a critical view of your operation. An external review can detect problems with your supply chain and suggest ways to improve operations, starting with your strategy on ordering supplies down to the way you interact with your clients and deliver your products or services.
Improve communications
Things cannot go well inside an enterprise if each department functions on its own without clear and constant communication with the others. Production lines will ground to a halt if the head of procurement has not been made aware in due time that they need to order certain raw materials. Or your warehouse will overflow with products if the distribution department doesn’t know when to expect a new batch of goods and provide for their speedy delivery.
To increase productivity you need to have a modern and efficient internal communication system helping the heads of each department be aware of what their colleagues are doing.
Better selection of your workers
If you want your employees to perform better you need to make sure they have the right qualifications for their position, they are motivated and have a clean criminal record. This is the task of the Human Resources department and, sometimes, when they’re in a hurry to fill a position they might be tempted to skip mandatory checks. This can result in hiring people with a dubious past who can create disruptions in the workplace or even steal money, supplies or finished goods. To make sure this doesn’t happen to your organisation you have the option to contact an accredited body and obtain a background certificate for the individuals that will be working in the organisation. These days background checks can be obtained online. There is no longer a need for large paper applications.
Make your employees happy
An employee who is happy with his job and his work conditions will always perform better than a disgruntled employee. There are many ways to make sure your employees are satisfied with their work and it’s not necessarily about better wages. This helps, of course, but what people in your organisation need is to know their work is valued and their efforts are acknowledged. Even if the company is going through a rough time, a good manager can raise morale by thanking the employees and praising their good results.
Another thing employees need is to know their opinions are heard and their input appreciated. This will keep them motivated to think about ways to improve productivity and once in a while they might come up with a brilliant idea. Don’t discourage them!
Finally, the key to better productivity is helping staff members to decrease stress levels. This refers to respecting your employees spare time, by not making them work long hours every day or bombarding them with emails and urgent calls in their free time. In the workplace, you can set up a chill zone or a small gym and encourage your employees to take short breaks and relax. Some business owners shudder at the idea of workers doing nothing and relaxing, but it has been proven as an excellent way to help people cope with stress and work better.