“Productivity is being able to do things that you were never able to do before,” said Franz Kafka, many years before the term “Workplace Productivity” was coined. These words ring true in today’s scenario, where consistent productivity is seen as the lifeline of every business. Apart from ensuring it, unspoken laws now call for measuring productivity in an organization. “Measuring” productivity? Is it possible, and if so, how?
This article will explain why measuring productivity in the workplace is important and how you can start doing it immediately.
Analyzing The Concept Of Workplace Productivity
Merriam Webster’s dictionary defines “productivity” as ” effecting in bringing about, yielding results, benefits, or profits.” From this definition, it is easy to decipher that Workplace Productivity refers to the efficiency with which tasks and objectives are completed in an organization.
Workplace productivity cannot happen accidentally. You have to make it happen. It requires:
- Intelligent planning
- Efficient workforce
- Focused effort
- Consistent communication
- Tools and resources
- Workplace rules
- Time management
Your workforce actually plays an instrumental role in ensuring workplace productivity. An effectively performing team is a productive team, and it has a telling impact on the services and products you offer. Does that mean your workforce has to be busy all day?
Not exactly. Like Thomas Alva Edison said, ” Being busy does not always mean real work.” Workplace productivity means much more than just mere work. It has an objective to accomplish tasks with systematic planning, forethought, and purpose.
Therefore, if your employees are just “busy” but do not accomplish anything, it indicates non-productivity. In the business world, non-productivity is seen as a waste of human and capital resources. Employers don’t want that to happen, which is why workplace productivity is so important.
Workplace Productivity: Why Is It Important?
Productivity varies depending on the industry or business, but most companies share numerous benefits.
- Increased profit
The most persuasive benefit of productivity and efficiency is profit. When more work is completed in less time, it translates to efficient use of resources and a higher profit. Statistics say that engaged employees are more productive, leading to a 21% increase in profits.
- Better decision-making
Workplace productivity allows you to make decisions about operational changes, additional recruitment, and investment in hardware or software to meet deadlines. Measuring productivity reveals flaws and gaps in the customer lifecycle, thus allowing you to rectify these flaws.
- Enhanced employee morale
The formula is simple: Happy employees= Higher productivity + Low turnover rates.
Productivity is an integral factor for every team, your entire office, and your organization. Without it, there is no driving force to motivate employees to work. And when they work better, they generate amazing returns and profits. This gives you the capacity to accommodate salary increments and incentives.
Now comes the big question: How do you know if your workplace is productive? To know that, you have to measure productivity. Did you know that there is a formula to do it? It goes like this:
Productivity of an employee= Total Output/ Total Input.
The output refers to a product or service, and the input denotes the time, labor, raw materials, resources, and capital used to derive the output.
That said, you cannot be expected to put pen to paper and do this calculation every time you want to measure productivity. There are better, more sensible ways to do it.
7 Defining Ideas To Measure Workplace Productivity
Is it even possible to measure something that’s not even tangible? Believe us, it is! Although each company has its own ways and means to measure productivity, these are some of the most common methods to get it done:
Establish clear expectations
As the first step, you need to work outputs for each job position. Set targets for all specific tasks. Create a reference point for the baseline measurement of performance. This measure will provide clarity for your employees. They will know what is expected of them, and you hold them accountable for their output.
Measure tasks, not hours
To get a clearer picture of workplace productivity, you can resort to measuring the number of tasks completed by an employee rather than the time taken to do it. Measure the least number of tasks, and set it as a standard. For example, you can measure the number of:
- Applications processed per day
- Official phone calls attended
- Cheques issued to vendors
- Meetings held with team members
Encourage feedback culture
You cannot measure workplace productivity with scanty information. You need a regular inflow of data. To ensure that, you can create a reliable system to receive and give feedback. However, you must:
- Establish a regular frequency to collect data
- Have a monthly or quarterly feedback system
- Implement productivity measures based on the feedback
Monitor individual progress
Wondering how to monitor each employee’s progress? Simple. Invest in employee time tracking software like Flowtrack to pinpoint who’s being productive and who’s procrastinating. This software helps you keep an eye on your employee’s progress while encouraging them to stick to timely completion of tasks. Another strategy is to hold daily meetings. It is an incredible way to involve your teams, discuss workflow measures, task completions, and target achievements.
Monitor employee attendance
We don’t doubt your employees’ brilliance and proficiency. But are they coming to work regularly? Employee absenteeism is detrimental to overall workplace productivity. Whether you have ten employees or a thousand, employee tracking software allows you to precisely monitor employee attendance.
Use employee monitoring software
Employee monitoring software is a time tracking tool that allows you to monitor the time taken to complete each task. Using this tool, you can picture your workforce productivity and the factors aiding or impeding them. The software also generates analytic reports that give you invaluable insights into workplace productivity.
Conduct client surveys
Client surveys are a clever way to gauge productivity. It will help you to:
- Track good and bad performers in your workforce
- Identify and appreciate outstanding performance
- Take measures to improve poor performing avenues
Some Final Thoughts
Without workplace productivity, your organization can disappear into oblivion. Scary as that may sound, it is undeniable. Therefore, prioritize workplace productivity and do whatever possible to measure it and keep it in check. Doing so will allow you to progress far ahead of your competitors. To keep a check on workplace and employee productivity, choose an HR management platform with amazing features like HRAPP.
