In the Land Down Under, a great number of business owners are always on the lookout for useful ways to increase their workplace productivity. Sometimes this is easy to do, while at other times, the changes and upgrades to be made are quite extensive. As a rule of thumb, the better results you need, the more drastic the changes should be made, but this is not something that’s set in stone. It doesn’t matter if you’re a successful CEO or a small business owner; here are some easy things you can do to significantly improve productivity in your workplace.
Listen to your employees
When you have a larger company and more employees, it can be difficult to keep track of everything and everyone. Focused on one task or one aspect of your business can make you forget about other things, but your employees are acutely aware of everything. People who work for you understand best what they are working on and what they need. Different Australian cities have different needs, and employees from Perth don’t necessarily need the things your Sydney employees do. The best way to keep everyone happy and improve their productivity is to lend them your ears and actively listen to what they have to say. When you’re in tune with their needs, they will be happier and more productive.
Invest in their skill set
When people who work for you are educated and competent, they will be much more productive. This sometimes means that you will have to provide them with adequate training and education, it ensures they are on top of their tasks. This doesn’t just mean that you should invest in their professional skills, since other skills can come in handy too. If your Sydney employees are using public transport to get to work, getting them lessons in a professional driving school in Sydney can empower them to make their own schedule and save time on their daily commute. Similarly, if your Melbourne employees need to brush up on their digital marketing skills, providing them access to different training courses will mean that your business will soon be number one in Victoria.
Change the way everyone communicates
When your employees know how to communicate effectively and respectfully with each other (as well as with your clients), you will notice an overall healthier atmosphere in the workplace. Australian laws even dictate that communication among employees should remain professional, which is why it’s a good idea to provide everyone with a chance to hone their communication skills. In addition to interpersonal communication, the means of communication matter greatly in a workplace. Case in point: sending dozens of emails will only clog the inbox and make people feel overwhelmed. This is why it’s much better to use a different messaging system, such as Slack, Asana, and even DeskAlerts. The latter even sends messages directly to desktops, completely bypassing the email system, as emails have become rather unreliable communication channels.
Give your employees more freedom
If you ask any employee, micromanaging will probably rank at the very top of their pet peeve list. In an attempt to improve their productivity, managers hang around a lot and look over every single task to ensure everything is done correctly. Unfortunately, this actually does the complete opposite, and everything slows down while employees become frustrated and annoyed. People don’t respond well to others questioning their every move and decision, and if you show everyone that you actually trust them – you will notice how much happier they are and how faster they do their tasks. When people know that their superiors have faith in them, their abilities, and their skills, they are more willing to give their maximum and deliver better results.
Don’t expect wonders
Your employees might be the best of the best, and your team might be top notch, but it isn’t to say that the results they deliver will always be impeccable. There will be mistakes and there will be a need to change things, redo them, and start over every now and then. There will be misunderstandings, missed deadlines, and client complaints as all of these are a staple in pretty much any line of work. Reasonable expectations are a must on the part of the employee, and the sooner you assure everyone that you don’t expect miracles and wonders every day, the better it will be for everyone involved.
All over Australia, there are businesses that are looking to improve and increase their workplace productivity. While some of the things we suggested here are easy to implement, there are those that require time, patience, and money. However, rest assured that each and every one of these changes will be useful and provide good results. If you’re unwilling to uproot your entire routine and turn your workplace upside down, start small and work your way up – you will soon notice the rise in productivity too.
© 2023, Mike Parsons. All rights reserved.
