Sometimes productivity can run low in the workplace – which is the last thing that businesses need in the already highly competitive market. Take a look at some of these tips that your business can implement, in order to make sure your business is as productive as possible.
Gamification
You might be thinking – what is gamification? Well, a simple definition is ‘it’s a business strategy which applies game design techniques to non-game experiences’ and it’s certainly the latest craze in business. According to Gabe Zichermann, founder and chief executive at Dopamine Inc.,if employers can find a way to make work feel like a fun game, it can increase their employee’s ability to learn new skills by 40%, makes them feel more engaged and as a result makes them more likely to stay and perform at high levels.
A recent Gartner report estimated that in2014 over 70% of Global 2000 organizations will have at least one ‘gamified’ application and by 2015 over 50% of organizations that manage innovation processes will ‘gamify’ their processes. Some examples include badges showing different levels of achievement, progress bars and meters, points, employee of the month schemes, loyalty awards and many other awards that can be earned. As technology continues to advance, the use of gamification will continue to progress in business. So think of various gamification ideas that will work in your business to engage your colleagues and increase their productivity.
Recognize employee’s hard work
It is essential that you recognize your employee’s hard work – you’ll be surprised at how much a little recognition and praise can do. If your employees are praised for their hard work, they are much more likely to continue working hard and be more productive in the workplace.
Rewards and incentives are also a great way to increase productivity in the workplace – if they know they have a chance of being rewarded with, for example, a small bonus for their hard work, they will be much more driven as they will have something to work towards. Rewards and incentives can work in conjunction with the gamification processes that your business decides to implement.
Implement a management system
Management systems are a great way to make your business more productive as well as help you save money. For example, an ISO 9001 management system can improve the performance of your business through greater management control. As a result, this will reduce waste as it will mean fewer errors in the quality of your service or product. A management system will allow you to gain a better understanding of how you are currently performing and what aspects need to be looked at to improve the productivity of your business further.For example, it will offer various methods that can be put in place if your staff should be absent from work, to ensure that your business remains productive without them. Find out more on management systems.
Resources and working environment
It is important that your employees have all the resources that they need in order to be the most productive that they can be –whether this be the correct office chair for their comfort or a new printer because the one you’ve already got is constantly breaking or the queue for it is half way down the office.
Listen to any requests that employees might have – and if you agree that it will increase their happiness and productivity (and it isn’t completely out of the businesses budget) it is important to implement whatever the request may be. At the end of the day, you want your employees to be comfortable, enjoy their place of work and have everything that they need to do the best job possible.
Image courtesy Samuel Mann
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