Of course, every employer wants employees to be as efficient as possible in their working hours. Long-term high productivity is, therefore, absolutely desirable. But can you, as a leader, have any influence on this situation?
Of course, it should be clear that people are not machines. Nobody can manage the same amount of work every day. Highs and lows should be considered normal within a certain framework.
Also, the productivity of a team is affected by several factors. On the one hand, there are rather personal issues. Those can, of course, only be managed to a minimal extent by the employer. The situation is different from the factors that are directly related to the office environment. And, in this article, we are going to discuss various ways to have a positive impact on employees’ motivation and productivity.
1. The Work Environment
The environment in which we do our work and spend many hours every day has a huge impact on our motivation and productivity. It begins with the equipment of the workplace. If the computer keeps crashing or the important software is missing, you can hardly think of productive and smooth work.
The work doesn’t have to be interrupted constantly, and for the level of frustration not to increase, the technical requirements should be fulfilled right.
But workplace design is also important. It is mainly about the size of the office and the furnishings. Every employee needs enough space where they can relax such a place shouldn’t be too loud. Ergonomics is also connected to this aspect. Nobody can be productive in the long run if their backs or necks hurt because of too small desks and chairs. Good lighting conditions, thanks to daylight or correct room lighting, also helps employees feel good and doesn’t hurt their eyes.
However, this is of little use if the office is dirty and sinks into chaos. Even if the need for cleanliness is different depending on a person’s priorities, dirt basically has a negative impact on our well-being. Therefore, it may affect our motivation and productivity as well. Besides, a dirty kitchen or toilets are a paradise for the well-being of bacteria and pathogens, and nothing has worse influence on productivity than an illness. To reduce the risk of infection and increase well-being, cleaning should be carried out regularly. It would be a good decision to cooperate with an appropriate company that is familiar with the standards of efficient office cleaning.
2. Requirements
After the external aspects of the work have been considered, it is important to improve the following:
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The core purpose of the work
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The work itself
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The level of requirements for the tasks
Of course, it has to be considered and assessed individually for each employee. Because it is important to find the right measure for every employee when it comes to working requirements. Keep in mind that both excessive and insufficient demands lead to frustration and demotivation.
Boredom quickly arises as well as a lack of appreciation and trust if there are too many challenges faced by employees. It’s like a desire to buy college research paper when you have enough other difficult academic projects to deal with.
Those who don’t feel challenged in their work will perform the supposedly unimportant or boring tasks more and more slowly and imprecisely. That can lead to many mistakes. In the worst-case scenario, permanent boredom can lead to burnout.
On the other hand, employees who feel permanently overwhelmed are at direct risk of burnout. An overload can be of a qualitative or quantitative nature.
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Qualitative is one occurring when the task itself is too complicated for the employee because, for example, the experience or special knowledge isn’t enough.
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If the number of tasks is too large and cannot be managed within the given time, that’s a quantitative aspect of a work overload.
In the medium term, it leads to frustration the person becomes less and less productive and confident. This way, people who are permanently overwhelmed or underwhelmed due to burnout can fail completely and lower the company’s productivity rates.
3. Appreciation
Ideally, employees feel that their difficult and simple tasks are well-balanced. This way, they can achieve good results in a reasonable time. To keep it that way, show the appreciation of the employees’ work. That is an important factor for satisfaction and long-lasting motivation. Those who feel appreciated enjoy working and are motivated more frequently. You can and should give your employees appreciation in different ways: both psychologically and materially. Another advantage: it costs nothing.
If the performance of your workers is taken for granted and taken without any comment, frustration arises at some point. This way, the employee may not even make an effort because nobody notices them trying.
But only praise alone isn’t enough in the long term. Other framework conditions, such as fair payments or flexible working hours, are another important form of recognition. Those who are always praised but paid poorly won’t feel good even after hearing nice words from the employer.
4. Working Atmosphere
The relationships between employees and employers also play an important role when it comes to working. Those who enjoy working with people around have higher chances of coming to the office in a good mood. Even a quick and friendly chat in the kitchen helps clear your head. It can give you some energy for efficient work. Group projects are also good here that’s what “pulls people together” and make them know each other better.
On the other hand, constant competitive thinking, antipathy, or even bullying has a negative impact on the work results.
The importance of an atmosphere factor may be different for each individual, while good pay is very motivating for many people. For ones, it is the team that may improve the quality of performance, and others work efficiently when the tasks are easy to manage.
All in all, keep in mind that there are many factors that you, as an employer, should consider to guarantee a boost for your company’s development.