10 Ways HR Can Improve Employee Productivity

According to an article from The Washington Post, the unemployment rate in the United States has marked down since more than 200,000 jobs were added in the economy last January 2020. This is good news for citizens who are looking for jobs. On the other hand, it is also a struggle that employers have to face. It is a rising economy with a lot of employment options. Because of this, stagnant workers take their jobs for granted and reduce their productivity. Hiring people is becoming tougher, and retaining a qualified and competent workforce is a real challenge the HR professionals now face. So, how do you attract the best candidates and keep them productive for the success of your company? This article will reveal every useful scheme that Human Resources can apply to improve employee productivity.

10 Ways HR Can Improve Employee Productivity

Conduct an Employee Survey

According to a post from Harvard Business Review on a survey conducted, 61% of the respondents submitted their feedback and suggestions about different topics. Employee management’s use of surveys is one of the most effective means of communication, especially if your workers want to voice out some concerns about the management discreetly. You will also have an opportunity to know from an insider which occurring issues in the workplace need your attention.

Implement Flexible Work Options

Business News Daily shared that a report from ManpowerGroup Solutions states that almost 40% of the job candidates worldwide consider the flexibility of the schedule as one of their top factors in deciding for a career. Employees nowadays prefer work-life balance over large salaries with complicated working schedules. The options for flexible work are giving employees the schedule choices, letting them work from home once a week, and allowing a 4-day working days per week provided that they work longer hours on those four days.

Have a Comfortable Working Environment

The working environment affects the performance of the employees, and a pleasant working place causes good productivity. Business News Daily quoted a line from a CEO that one bad attitude affects everyone’s daily performance. This statement is true, especially for millennials who struggle from toxicity in the workplace. By letting go of the toxic ones, you will give a healthy and conducive environment to good employees. A comfortable working place also makes the employees happy, from a clean office down to comfortable chairs. An article from UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School states that even lighting affects productivity.

Invest in Employee Happiness

Happy employees stay longer in the company, which means that there will be less hassle in hiring and adjusting to new ones. Employees’ happiness involves excellent compensation, constant engagement with workmates and managers through team building and company activities, and capable team collaboration.

Support Creativity and Innovation

Employees will feel valued in the company when their ideas are being heard. Innovative approaches of the talents will not only improve employee relations with the management but will also have a good impact on the company’s growth and advancement. Recognition for your creative employees will inspire them to brainstorm more ideas for your business. How do you support the creativity and innovation of your workforce? Inform employees you are open to any ideas for a change that you need. This is much more manageable disseminated through email. Present guidelines, give timelines, and provide incentives.

Provide the Right Tools for the Team

When employees don’t have access to the right tools, they will have no other choice but to use what is available, which might cause backlogs. Investing in the right tools for the team to utilize in completing tasks is a necessity. However, to expedite their work and for better productivity, it is also best to invest in advanced utilities.

Improve Employee Skills with Training

Aside from the training given after the recruitment, selection process, and hiring process, consistent practice and constant feedback on the employees’ performance are constructive and helpful in the company’s growth. Training and development lead to less supervision, chances of promotion, and more productivity. You can conduct your training in person or through online means. Afterward, you may proceed to provide feedback to the employees so that they can know their areas of improvement.

Introduce a reward system

By introducing a reward system, employees will have something to look forward to. Top talents will also feel appreciated by the company when they are acknowledged, and this will also inspire other employees to do better. Frequent rewards include bonuses, incentives, and profit-sharing.

Encourage Healthy Eating and Physical Exercise

Everybody’s aware of famous lines like, “health is wealth,” and “you are what you eat.” Those will always have a place at work because of how much time people spend in the office. By encouraging the workforce to move more by walking during short breaks and by giving them access to healthy food, their mental and physical health will remain in good condition.

Sponsor Team Building Events

Team building events such as lunch discussions, team trips, and meetings will give employees the chance to collaborate with the leaders of the team for their continuous improvement. Lunch discussions are ways to ask employees how they are doing in the company, what their challenges are, and a time for the managers to give feedback and encouragement to the workers. Taking the team to other departments is also helpful for the growth of the employees. They will have an idea about the different career paths in the company through job shadowing. Team trips are a robust way to build a bond and bring employee engagement in the workforce. Other team-building events are the simple ice-breakers in the meetings, sponsorship for sports and fitness events, charity, and fun classes or constructive games in the office.

In a competitive industry, companies invest more than millions to make products and services that stand out. What managements miss is that good productivity will always come from the quality and quantity that the workers can give, and this only needs a checklist of useful strategies. Without proper HR plans for their productivity improvement, an enterprise will continuously struggle with the difficulties of not having a long-lasting, productive workforce that will contribute to the growth and advancement of the business.

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