Whether you accept it or not, a paycheck is usually not enough to keep employees productive at all times. And before we go any further on this topic, we just want to clarify: this is totally normal, and even expected. We’re all human and can not possibly be productive at all times, every day. It’s just part of human nature.
However, there are things you can do to increase your team’s overall productivity. We’re going to share three of them.
1. AVOID MULTI-TASKING
If you want your team members to be productive, stop asking them to take care of a dozen of action-items and projects at once.
According to this article by Marcel Schwantes for Inc.com, making employees switch from one task to another in a given day “is a recipe for an exhausted mind. It prevents people from feeling engaged, motivated, and fulfilled — all the qualities needed to find value at the workplace.”
And if you’re not convinced just yet… Maybe knowing that research has proven “that task switching delay can lead to a 40 percent loss of someone’s productivity.”
While we understand that many businesses simply cannot have one employee working on a single project for days on end, they can help their team members work on different priorities on different given days. Essentially, if you want to avoid any loss of productivity due to task switches, help them create an agenda or to-do list that minimizes those.
2. ENCOURAGE BREAKS
If your employees are stressed out and feeling burnt out, they won’t be working at their full and best capacity. This exhaustion will cause your team to lose productivity as they take longer to complete tasks and projects.
If you want your team members to be able to reach the finish line without losing steam multiple times along the way, give them the tools and resources they need to combat stress and exhaustion.
The best way to do that is to encourage breaks, exercising, meditation, and mindful breathing. If your team members have other ways they like to destress, letting them do those activities may help them come back to work refreshed and ready to rock on.
3. LET THEM DO WHAT THEY LIKE
Your team members are human; they will always be more motivated to do something they love and are passionate about. That being said, letting your team members pick projects that interest them and that they are glad to be a part of is a huge factor in increasing productivity.
No one works better and is more productive than someone who loves what they’re doing. On the other hand, no one drags their feet and wastes time more than someone that dreads the tasks they have on their to-do list.
If all the projects they need to complete are boring to them and don’t speak to their interests, you can’t blame them for procrastinating and being unproductive; it’s only human after a while!
If there are any other tactics you use to increase your team’s productivity, please share them with us. We’d like to hear from you.