The market is becoming increasingly demanding, and every day companies are looking for smarter ways to ensure better performance and position themselves better against the competition. However, this success depends on several factors, and productivity problems can hinder a company's growth .
Business results are directly related to how productive its employees can be. When demand is not met as expected, the company has more difficulty growing and fails to achieve its goals and objectives. Regardless of the business segment, human capital is the most important part , responsible for ensuring that activities are carried out and that the company remains in business.
What affects a company's productivity?
The first sign of low productivity that can be noticed in a company is in the results obtained by the workers . From the moment that the results delivered are not satisfactory enough, it becomes necessary to investigate in order to find the causes of the low productivity.
In this sense, there are many reasons why employees produce less, such as dissatisfaction with the job or the company, burnout, lack of prospects, among others.
In the article "Employees vs. Productivity: What are the main obstacles?" that we recently published, you will find more complete information about the main obstacles to your employees' productivity.
How to identify the root causes of productivity problems in a company.
As we've seen, many factors can cause productivity problems among your employees, but the question remains: how do you know what's causing the drop in productivity in your company? To do this, you can use some resources and tools, such as:
Implement satisfaction surveys.
This type of research helps managers gain a deeper understanding of the work environment and what can be done to improve the situation. Whether conducted virtually or in person, satisfaction surveys aim to gather information about employees' relationship with the company, in order to increase satisfaction levels and address potential problems.
Assess skills and performance
Skills and performance evaluation is also a way to collect information related to the productivity of your employees . Through the information obtained, the company can create a more elaborate profile for each professional, in order to guide them towards superior performance.
Employee development depends on a collaborative effort between the company and its employees . For a business to achieve all its goals and objectives, it needs a qualified and dedicated team. The more prepared your employees are, the easier it will be for them to see new possibilities and stay motivated.
Employees are a business's greatest asset, and investing in courses and training is the same as investing in the business, bringing numerous benefits to the organization. If your employees lack the ideal qualifications for the job, it's time to look for ways to balance this equation.
Use performance indicators.
Performance indicators help establish a more assertive decision-making process by comparing realistic information about employee performance with company objectives. The indicators observed may include: absenteeism, results, production demand, turnover, among others.
Establish a protocol to identify incorrect processes and failures.
The first step in process improvement is identifying where errors occur and establishing the best solution for them. However, this is not always possible through observation alone: it is necessary to have a method or tool that helps identify these flaws and ensures that the best solution is implemented.
Furthermore, an external perspective can provide a clearer view of everything that happens within the company and helps create a clearer and more assertive problem-solving protocol. Many employees may feel frustrated and demotivated by failures and bureaucratic processes , impacting the company's results, and the sooner these processes are optimized, the more beneficial it will be for both parties.
Study the way the company communicates with its employees.
Poor communication can cause several problems for a company, including decreased productivity. This is because a lack of transparency and clear information about goals and objectives can lead employees to lose focus on their tasks and fail to deliver the results expected by managers. The result is the need for rework, harming productivity and delaying the delivery of projects and tasks.
To avoid this problem, the company needs to rely on efficient communication tools that allow for clearer and more assertive communication.
Identify potential distractions.
Although the internet is a fundamental resource today , it is also an environment of numerous distractions and can considerably harm employee productivity. Inappropriate access to sites such as social networks, entertainment websites, online stores, personal emails, among others, ends up taking up a lot of time from the routine and causing the employee to deliver less than expected.
To reduce these distractions, the company can rely on an access management system that helps to better manage what is being done on the company's internet. In addition to reducing productivity problems, this type of tool also helps to increase security on the company's network , since there will be less exposure to traps set by cybercriminals.
Another very common distraction is the number of interruptions received during working hours, whether by email, Skype, telephone, or other means. For this reason, clear communication is essential to ensure better results . It is important to emphasize that, after an interruption, our full concentration is only recovered after an average of 10 minutes.
Talk to your colleagues about internal problems.
Discouragement and lack of motivation are also major obstacles when it comes to productivity . More engaged and motivated employees are capable of delivering superior results, and reaching that level requires a lot of work and dedication from the company.
To avoid this type of problem, managers need to pay attention to the factors mentioned earlier, such as good communication and a complete structure. Furthermore, a healthy work environment plays a key role in the morale and well-being of employees. In the video below, you can find some tips to increase your employees' motivation in a simple and efficient way.
Check if employees are being valued.
Although it's not explicitly stated, everyone likes to receive recognition for their work, and this type of appreciation is very important for self-esteem and productivity. And this recognition goes far beyond simply offering praise in feedback; it's necessary to pay attention to several factors:
- Excessive charges;
- Incompatible salaries;
- Excessive criticism;
- Lack of perspective;
- And many other problems.
How to eliminate distractions in the workplace.
We know that throughout the day, many distractions hinder us and take our focus away from important tasks. For this reason, distractions are a major concern when it comes to productivity within the company , making it necessary to establish some best practices, such as:
- Break down large tasks into smaller steps: a large project can cause motivation to decrease as the task progresses, impacting the final result. Dividing the project into steps not only helps ensure success but also allows the task to be completed in less time.
- Invest in underproductive employees: it may seem foolish, but perhaps these employees just need attention to generate good results. Often, a single demotivated employee can impact the results of everyone else . Discovering where the problem lies and determining the best solution for that employee can help the rest of the team stay motivated.
- Encourage rest breaks: contrary to what many believe, establishing strategic breaks throughout the day can greatly help increase productivity. These breaks help renew energy and maintain high motivation.
- Block internet distractions: Although it's one of the most important tools today, the internet is full of distractions and pitfalls that undermine employee productivity. Strategically blocking certain content can bring many benefits to the company.
As we have seen, a company's productivity can be impacted by various situations, and many of them can be easily overcome with a more proactive stance from the company , such as distractions caused by the misuse of the internet.
To prevent productivity losses caused by unauthorized internet access during work hours, such as social media, e-commerce sites, entertainment websites, etc., the company can rely on an access blocking and control system .
With the help of this tool, managers can establish more assertive control over access and, consequently, increase the productivity of their employees.
