Inevitably, a company's results are directly related to the productive capacity of its workers. However, this path to success is not always a straight, short, and sunny trail . There are many obstacles that can hinder the performance of your employees , and it is necessary to find tools and resources that help contribute to the productivity of your employees.
Knowing how to deal with productivity issues is essential for companies to deliver their demands with quality and within the stipulated deadlines. The main point is to identify the motivation of your employees and what factors may be hindering their productivity .
How to identify low productivity?
Low productivity is easy to spot when managers are well-versed in the signs that something is wrong. Businesses with low productivity can lose market share and risk their success due to problems that could be easily solved. Excessive unproductive meetings, inadequate communication channels, unnecessarily bureaucratic tasks, internet distractions… All of this can significantly harm employee performance.
Here are some signs that your company is suffering from low productivity :
- Delays in delivering daily tasks;
- Accumulation of tasks and overload ;
- Frequent absences;
- Employee tardiness;
- High turnover rate;
- Decline in the quality of tasks;
- Lack of motivation and commitment;
- Customer dissatisfaction;
- Problems in the work environment. (A good work environment can make all the difference when it comes to productivity. Understand the relationship between these two factors better here ).
Given these signs, it is important for managers to adopt effective strategies that help employees improve their performance during working hours.
Productivity on the internet: what nobody tells you?
We know that the internet has become an indispensable resource for companies in all sectors today , and it's practically impossible to envision a market niche that doesn't require a continuous connection. However, we also know that it's possible to find all kinds of content online, making the internet a major trap for productivity.
According to a survey conducted by Reclaim.ai , out of a total of 2,000 people interviewed, only 12% claim to be productive for more than six hours. The same report also shows that approximately half of the work time is actually dedicated to productive tasks, demonstrating that the other half is spent on side activities, such as unauthorized internet access. This includes personal emails, social media, entertainment websites, and e-commerce sites.
With constant interruptions and distractions, employees end up failing to meet company expectations, having their valuable time consumed by external problems.
What could impact your employees' productivity?
According to research published by the University of São Paulo (USP) , a Brazilian professional takes about an hour to complete a task that an American takes only 15 minutes to complete, demonstrating how the productivity of workers in our country is impaired. All these problems mentioned above can cause significant damage to your business , making it essential to identify their root causes.
In this regard, let's look at the main reasons why professionals are less productive:
Job unsuitability
Many employees, although qualified, end up being placed in positions that are not suitable for their profile. For example, placing an extroverted employee in a role where they spend most of their time working alone can lead to demotivation over time and ultimately reduce their productivity.
It is important that the professional performs tasks that are compatible not only with their technical skills, but also with their personality. The more compatible these factors are, the more productive the employee will be , and the better the results for the company.
Fatigue
In this sense, we can consider not only the physical exhaustion of employees, but also emotional fatigue. In addition to ensuring an adequate workload, managers need to think about ways to improve well-being in the workplace.
We need to remember that external factors in employees' personal lives can lead to productivity problems during work hours, and it is up to the company to adopt a more human-centered approach to management. Work that involves the physical and mental health of employees can bring numerous benefits to the organizational environment.
Lack of motivation
Employee motivation can be affected by numerous factors, such as:
- Salary out of line with the market;
- Lack of benefits;
- Organizational climate with conflicts;
- Communication problems with colleagues and managers;
- Between others.
All of these aspects can be related to engagement problems, making it necessary to have a strong and motivating organizational policy. This policy is much more than just words in a document: all employees must be united in a common goal, interacting in a healthy way.
Lack of investment
Employees are a company's most important asset , because without them nothing would be possible. For this reason, just as a company invests in quality supplies and technological equipment, it is also important to invest in the people who keep the company running.
While prior qualifications are very important for hiring, it is equally vital that the company has a qualification program that contributes to the development of its most important assets: its employees .
Infrastructure problems
It is essential that the company provides the necessary infrastructure for its employees to deliver the expected productivity. An environment lacking comfort, tranquility, and proper structure can contribute to productivity problems and increase team dissatisfaction.
Some investments in facilities can make all the difference, such as:
Space for rest;
- Dining area;
- An environment free from excessive noise;
- Proper cleaning;
- Air conditioning;
- Among other measures.
5 foolproof tips to keep your employees productive.
Some often simple tips can completely change the employee productivity landscape:
1. Encourage the participation of all employees.
The more heard and supported employees feel, the greater their motivation and productivity will be. Holding meetings where employees can express their ideas and opinions can be very positive for the company.
Since they are involved with the company's activities and routines on a daily basis, they can offer valuable ideas to improve not only the work environment but also to optimize processes.
2. Set goals and deadlines.
Goals and deadlines should not be seen as a way to pressure employees, but rather as a way to encourage teamwork . By pursuing common objectives, employees can help the business maintain higher performance and bring more profitability.
However, these goals must be achievable and realistic so that motivation is not affected. If employees frequently fail to meet their goals, they may feel incapable and undervalued.
3. Emphasize the importance of feedback.
And no, we're not just talking about calling an employee's attention to things not being done as expected or when a mistake is made. It's extremely important to value good work and make sure your employee knows what they're doing well, thus keeping their motivation high.
This feedback should be given periodically and, when done correctly, can contribute to the development, improvement, and productivity of your employees. It serves as a way to demonstrate how attentive the company is to the performance of everyone involved and helps to bring increasingly better results to the business.
4. Rely on technology for help.
Technological tools can bring great benefits to company productivity, helping to eliminate excess bureaucracy and bring more practicality to the daily routine. Furthermore, by facilitating task execution, managers can significantly reduce errors and failures resulting from inadequate processes and optimize tasks.
Management systems enable the mapping of processes and more accurate monitoring of everything that happens within a business.
5. Eliminate distractions.
In addition to constant interruptions (unscheduled appointments, constant phone calls, external noises, among others), the online environment also represents a major pitfall for employee productivity. Inappropriate access, such as to social networks, entertainment websites, online stores, etc., ends up taking up a lot of time during working hours, hindering the execution of tasks that are truly relevant to the business.
For this reason, it is important to have an effective Internet Usage Policy that helps employees understand the importance of using the company's internet responsibly.
But how can we ensure productivity on the internet?
Often, simply having an Internet Usage Policy isn't enough, and managers need to take more assertive and efficient measures to ensure the correct use of the company's internet . In this case, it's necessary to use a reliable internet access control system that can deliver all the resources the company needs.
One of the best tools on the market is Lumiun Box . With it, your company can increase productivity and ensure smarter use of this vital resource: the internet. Here are some of the benefits:
- It prevents attacks on the company's network and systems by adding a strong layer of protection against various types of viruses and malware;
- It helps reduce productivity loss and wasted time during work hours by blocking access to inappropriate websites during work time.
- It consolidates realistic information about internet usage within the company, offering reports that show which websites are most accessed, times, website categories, etc.
- It helps implement an internet access policy, with customized rules based on website category, security and reputation levels, and time of day.
- It features an intuitive and easy-to-use control panel;
- It provides a more secure network , preventing unauthorized access and cyberattacks;
- It allows for more assertive control of internet access, classifying it according to security levels;
- It does not require the configuration of special servers or software, as it is a cloud-based technology;
- The access rules apply to all devices connected to the company network.
If productivity is proving to be a problem in your business, count on Lumiun Box to help you achieve all your company's goals!
