How to Increase Productivity in the Workplace to Stay Competitive

When business owners are asked to list their top concerns in the workplace, low productivity is often mentioned. Low productivity can lead to added costs, reduced sales volume, smaller profits, and an inability to be competitive with others in the industry. Productivity can have a deep and often negative effect on competitiveness, and when your company starts to fall behind, it can be difficult to crawl back. 

That leads to the question of how to increase productivity in the workplace to stay competitive. Here’s the good news: several tips can be used to turn things around and there’s no time like the present. 

Does Your Staff Have the Training and Tools to Get the Job Done?

It’s easy to point the finger at your staff and blame them for low productivity, but have you done your job as a business owner and provided them with the correct training and tools to get the job done? Even if they were originally good enough for the job, times change, technology advances and perhaps there are better solutions now. 

You can ask for employee feedback and analyze the current equipment and tools being used. It may also be worthwhile to do a little reminder training, going over all the important details. Many companies choose to train employees regularly to ensure nothing is forgotten.

Create an Employee Rewards Program

Incentivizing employees to work hard and give their best may be easier than you think. Staff members tend to respond well when they receive recognition and appreciation for a job well done. When employees hit sales targets, and production goals or even provide high levels of customer service, they should be recognized. One of the best ways to accomplish this is with an employee rewards program.

An employee rewards program gives staff something to work towards, a reason to give their best. If they know they will get rewarded, it’s worth the effort. As for what to reward them with, you can shop for Mastercard gift cards in bulk that can be used at any shop, giving them the power to decide what their reward is.

Learn to Prioritize Tasks and Processes

Prioritizing is something that shouldn’t be underestimated and can be effective from the top down. Learning how to take a list of tasks and processes and then prioritize them so the most important ones are taken care of first is a skill. This means it takes time and practice, so don’t expect perfection right out of the gate.

If anyone is having a hard time prioritizing, try holding meetings where the various tasks can be discussed and a schedule can be created. You may also want to look at software tools meant for businesses to input all the current jobs, tasks, and processes and then create notes, adjust the priority list, and update the status in real time so all can see.

Just about every industry out there today feels crowded and competitive, making it hard for any single business to stand out. This is why it requires a little creativity on your part to increase productivity and fight with the big dogs.