As a business owner, one of your greatest assets are the people on your team. Without them, your business probably won’t go anywhere very fast. Plus, your team plays a large role in whether or not your business is successful on a short and long-term basis. For these reasons, you want your employees to like their jobs and to actually get work done when they come into work. However, making this happen is easier said than done. If you’re struggling to increase productivity and employee morale, here are some tips that might help.
Get Involved
As the boss, you serve as a role model for your employees. This is why, if you sit around watching cat videos all day long, your employees will probably do the same. To increase productivity and employee morale, demonstrate how important hard work is by getting involved in your day-to-day operations. For example, try helping out your employees with things on their to-do lists or going out there and interacting directly with your clients. Just be careful that you don’t get so involved that your employees view it as interfering.
Get Social
There’s two main things hosting work-related social activities can do for your company that can help you increase productivity and improve morale. First, and probably the most apparent to your employees, these outings can give your employees a break. By encouraging breaks, you can create a company culture that actually leads to greater overall productivity. Second, when your business tries to make things more social, you help your team members get to know each other better. As a result, they’ll feel more comfortable around each other and become better able to collaborate for the greater good.
Be Flexible
Your grandparents may think that the only time to do business is in between the hours of 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. However, work trends and habits have shifted, and running business strictly between these hours isn’t as effective as it used to be. As a business owner, keep in mind that some of your employees might work best around 7 or 8 in the morning, while your other team members don’t feel like they can get their minds going until around noon. If your business can make it work, let your employees work at the times they know they’ll be most productive. While this may lead to a few more gaps in communication, lending your operations to a flexible schedule may actually help your business be more productive as a whole.
Limit Meetings
Meetings kill productivity. While this may seem a little bit extreme, most meetings are used to update employees on things that could be written out in an email and complete discussions that are hardly ever used for a practical purpose. Although there is value in the occasional all-hands meeting, sit down with your employees individually if there’s something you need to discuss with them. As you do this in order to increase productivity and employee morale, you’ll notice a definite difference in how much gets done on a daily basis.
Celebrate the Small Things
It’s always great when your company completes a goal you’ve been working on for a long time. However, it’s also great when smaller goals are completed, as these are the stepping stones to greater success. Instead of only celebrating the big things, do more to recognize your employees when they do small things well. For example, send out a mass email to your employees if one of them gets a great client review, or take the team out for lunch if you meet a weekly goal.
Make Your Goals Transparent
You don’t have to keep your goals and long-term plans a secret. If anything, it’s better for your employees to know which direction you’re trying to take your company if you want to increase productivity and employee morale. This is because being transparent with your goals will help cultivate an environment built on trust and it will help your employees understand where you’re coming from when you make requests or give directions. Keep in mind that if you really want to increase productivity and employee morale, you have to focus on creating an environment that’s good for your workers. After you do this, the productivity will come and your business will be able to set and reach goals without an issue.
Learn More
If you want to learn more about creating a workplace environment focused on success, check out all of the resources and tools Mighty Recruiter has to offer.