Author: Dr. Arlian Salmon-Barnett

Developing employees' productivity skills is essential to any organization's success. Productive employees can help drive a company's growth, increase profits, and improve overall efficiency. However, developing productivity skills can be challenging and requires a combination of different techniques and strategies. Here are a few techniques and strategies organizations may want to consider:

Training and Development Programs

One of the most effective ways to develop productivity skills is through training and development programs. These programs teach employees new skills and practices that will help them to work more efficiently. Programs implemented within the organization will help employees to improve technical and soft skills, gain new knowledge, and make career advancements. 

Examples of training programs include:

a) Employee engagement programs: Implementing employee engagement programs where employees can make suggestions and voice concerns and opinions, can help to increase employee participation and ownership in the organization. Implementing such programs will lead to improved productivity.

b) Employee recognition programs: Recognizing and rewarding employees for their contributions can help to increase motivation and engagement which lead to productivity. Employee recognition programs enhance confidence, retain talent and create bonds within the organization. Some methods used within organizations to recognize employees’ recognition include bonuses, gift cards, company financed trips, and dinners. Bonuses can help attract the best talents to the workplace; performance bonuses can also motivate employees to improve the quality of workdone toward overall productivity increase. With gift cards, financial trips and staff dinners, employees can experience a possessive and personal spectrum of bonding for the brand, leading to an emotive surge in commitment to organizational growth and productivity. Organizations that prioritize employee recognition programs give the feel that they care about rewarding employees during the process of work, and not just at the end of it by paying solely wages and salaries.

c) Wellness programs: Organizations can implement a wellness program that promotes employees' physical and mental well-being. This can include offering fitness classes, providing access to counseling services, or promoting healthy eating habits. This can help employees manage stress, increase energy levels, and improve productivity.

d) Growth, development and advancement programs: Organizations can provide employees with opportunities for growth and progress. Employees who engage in these programs tend to have increased productivity and job satisfaction. On the job training, workshops, tuition reimbursement trainings, professional development, mentorships, online programs, and expert speakers are included in some growth, development and advancement programs. This can help employees to see clear paths for advancement within the organization, which will lead to improved productivity.

Creating and Inculcating Positive Work Environments

A critical aspect of developing productivity skills is to create a positive company culture and work environment by promoting transparency, accountability, and respect. A positive company culture can help employees to feel motivated and engaged, leading to improved productivity. A positive work environment is conducive to productivity and can be made by fostering a culture of collaboration, communication, and teamwork. Open communication and active cooperation among employees should be encouraged. When employees feel supported and valued, they are more likely to be motivated to work hard and be productive.

Offering incentives for productivity can also be a powerful and effective motivator for employees and a way to maintain positivity in the workplace. Offering rewards for meeting or exceeding productivity goals can encourage employees to work harder and be more productive. Incentivescan range from monetary rewards, such as bonuses, to non-monetary rewards, such as additional time off, recognition in front of colleagues or providing opportunities for employees to develop skills and professional advancement.

Outlining Managerial Roles

Managers play vital roles in developing productivity skills. Providing employees with clear goals and expectations, and regular feedback on their performances would tailor employee skills and increase productivity. Managers should be available to provide support and guidance to employees when needed. They should also be role models of productivity and demonstrators of appropriate behaviors, attitudes and actions expected from employees. Identifying and addressing issues hindering employee productivity, such as a lack of resources or poor communication, should be top priority of all managers.

Using Technology

Organizations can use technology to increase employee productivity. The use of productivity apps and software can help employees work more efficiently. These tools help employees manage tasks, schedules, and emails. Technology also provides a platform for easy and effective collaboration and communication among employees.

Additionally, technology can be used to automate repetitive tasks which can ease employees’ workload and enable them to focus on more critical studies. Automation can be generated using cloud-based tools and platforms which will help to improve employee collaboration. These types of collaboration can help employees to share information and work together more effectively, which will lead to improved productivity.

Combining Techniques and Strategies

Developing employees' productivity skills is an ongoing process which requires a combination of different strategies and techniques. Strategies and techniques include training and development programs, creating a positive work environment, offering incentives, effective management, and using technology. By implementing these strategies, companies can help employees work more efficiently and drive the organization's growth and success. Through the combined strategies programs can teach employees new skills, methods and procedures that can help them to work more efficiently. For instance, training programs can teach employees how to use new software or tools, or train employees how to use time management techniques to organize their work better.

Managing Time

Many organizations encourage staff to manage productivity time efficiently and effectively. When it comes to time management, employees can learn techniques such as prioritizing tasks, setting deadlines, breaking down larger tasks into smaller ones, and using calendars and to-do lists to stay organized. Additionally, employees can use the Pomodoro Technique which is a time management method that involves working for a set period and then taking a short break. This method can help employees stay focused and avoid burnout.

Providing Feedback

Providing employees with regular feedback is an effective strategy to promote performance and productivity. Regular feedback will help employees understand areas of strength and weakness. Feedback may be provided through periodic performance evaluations, one-on-one meetings, or performance management systems. Leaders should give positive and constructive feedback and work with employees to set clear goals and expectations. They should also encourage employees to provide feedback on their own work environment, processes and management. This helps identify areas for improvement and allows employees to feel heard and valued, which will lead to improved productivity.

Encouraging Autonomy

Giving employees the freedom to manage tasks and make decisions can increase engagement and motivation, which will result in improved productivity. Organizations have implemented strategies to develop and encourage employees’ autonomy. Strategies include:

a) Implementing a performance management system: Organizations can implement a performance management system that regularly tracks and measures employee performance. This can help employees to understand strengths and areas in need of improvement. If employees are able to manage their performance, they will be encouraged to be regulators of their performances and autonomous.

b) Providing workplace flexibility and work-life balance: Providing employees with flexibility in terms of their work schedule, location, and technology can help to improve work-life balance. Allowing employees to have more control over working hours can also improve work-life balance and increase productivity. Organizations can promote flexibility and work-life balance by providing employees with flexible working arrangements, such as working from home or having relaxed start and finish times, telecommuting or compressed workweeks. This can help employees to manage personal and professional responsibilities efficiently.

Providing Resources

Lack of resources within organizations negatively impacts performance and productivity. Resources are vital for achieving organizational goals. Organizations provide resources in many different ways to help employees to cope within work environments. Resources consist of:

a) Providing mental and physical well-being as a resource: Providing employees with resources to improve psychological and physical well-being can help to manage stress, increase energy levels, and ultimately improve productivity. It is almost impossible for employees to function at optimal levels without mental and physical fitness that meets the measure of job expectations. Learning the invaluable worth of mental and physical well-being as part of an organization’s array of resources can help managers maximize the capabilities of the staff force towards actualization of set goals and objectives.

b) Gamification as a resource: Incorporating elements of game design, such as rewards and leader-boards, into work environments can increase engagement and motivation among employees. Gamification brings excitement to the work environment by blending games with professional tasks. Organizations use gamification to enhance productivity by combining company duties and objectives with reward and recognition.

c) Microlearning as a resource: Regularly providing employees with small chunks of training, such as short videos or interactive modules as a resource for gaining professional development, can increase employees’ skills and knowledge and improve productivity. Introducing bite-size modules can help employees who are slow to assimilation gain traction of project objectives and processes faster. The offering of microlearning content on technological devices means employees can continue the learning process away from work at their own convenience.

d) Using personal development plans as resources: Encouraging employees to set and work towards personal development goals can help them to improve their skills and knowledge and contribute to their overall productivity. There is little to nothing that can be done to help an uninterested employee to become better, but the deployment of personal development plans will not only help employees to contribute to workplace productivity but will also to their personal growth. This can be the eureka shot towards an organization’s performance increase.

e) Providing personalized coaching and mentoring as a resource: Coaching and mentoring are powerful resources used to lead companies to success. The goal of using personalized coaching and mentoring as a resource is to help individual employees to grow, develop, and achieve his or her full potential. Providing employees with customized coaching and mentoring can help to identify and overcome obstacles hindering progress and company’s productivity.

f) Social learning as a resource: Encouraging employees to share knowledge and expertise through social learning platforms or communities can help to foster a culture of continuous learning and improvement. By sharing, employees will learn from each other and improve in areas of weakness. Improvement will lead to increased organizational productivity.

g) Knowledge sharing as a resource: Organizations can encourage employees to share their knowledge and expertise through knowledge management systems, such as wikis or forums. This can help employees learn from one another which will lead to improved productivity. Performance can also climb higher due to the collaboration of highly skilled workforce operating in similar knowledge frequencies. It becomes practically easier to understand team objectives and assimilate project oriented processes toward a common organizational goal when employees share ideas.

h) Using collaborative workspaces as a resource: Encouraging team members to work in collaborative workspaces can foster teamwork, creativity, and innovation, which will lead to improved productivity. Collaborative workspace establishes a ‘sharing environment’ where team members watch out for each other, complement members’ weaknesses and reduce lapses that may arise due to individual skill-related inabilities.

i) Providing continuous learning opportunities: Continuous learning opportunities as a resource can provide employees with endless learning opportunities, such as workshops, webinars, or online courses. Participating in learning opportunities can help employees to stay up-to-date with the latest trends and technologies in their field. Having updated knowledge of the latest trends and technologies will benefit the organization and add to its improvement.

Organizations can also provide employees with opportunities for skill-building. Employees can develop skills through job rotations, cross-training, or special projects. Developing employees skills will motivate them to work together to better the organization which will lead to improved productivity.

j) Using virtual reality training as a resource: Virtual reality technology provides employees with immersive training experiences which make learning more engaging and interactive. Organizations can implement virtual trainings to help employees to develop professionally which will benefit the company and lead to increased productivity. Additionally, immersive training can be the way to creating a realistic vantage of workplace processes and expected output in a practical sense that is relatable to every member of a team. The experiential learning can help develop situational and spatial awareness. This in turn results in a safer and more productive workplace environment.

Conclusion

Employee productivity is a crucial aspect of any business, as it directly impacts the organization. However, many companies fail to invest in the growth and development of employees' productivity skills, which can lead to future problems. A major consequence of this issue is significant decrease in productivity. Without proper training and development, employees may struggle to complete tasks efficiently and effectively. This can lead to delays, missed deadlines, and increased costs for the company. Additionally, employees who are not productive may also struggle to meet individual performance goals, which can negatively impact morale and engagement.

Another possible consequence that may arise if companies fail to invest in employees’ productivity skills is the lack of innovation and creativity. When employees are not trained to think critically and creativel//y, they may struggle to formulate new ideas and find solutions to problems. This can lead to a stagnation of the company's growth and success.

A lack of employee productivity skills can also lead to high turnover rates. High turnover rates can be costly for a company, as it can take a significant amount of time and resources to replace an employee.When employees struggle to perform job duties effectively, they may become disengaged and demotivated. This can lead to increased absenteeism and conflicts, and ultimately, employees may choose to leave the company in search of better opportunities.

The benefits of developing employee productivity skills are numerous and far-reaching. It is essential for companies to invest in training and developing employees’ skills to ensure that they are equipped to perform organizational duties effectively. Effective performance in the workplace will ultimately lead to increased productivity, creativity, and employee engagement, which will benefit the company as a whole.

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