It’s great when everything just “clicks” in your business. To Do lists get shorter. Deadlines get crushed. Customers are happy. And your employees go home in a great mood.
Wishing you could have more high-productivity days like these?
Keep this list of instant productivity boosters handy! Implement just one of these ideas, and your team will improve focus, minimize wasted time and get more done:
Create “psychological ownership” of tasks.
When an employee doesn’t really care about his work, he just “collects a paycheck” and does the absolute minimum required to avoid being fired. To get him to consistently perform above and beyond that minimum, you need to increase his “psychological ownership” of his work – and the outcomes he creates.
In a nutshell, psychological ownership is created when an employee’s job aligns with his overall work identity. If he gets satisfaction from completing tasks, is competent in his role, and feels that his contributions make a real difference, he’ll work harder – because he wants to!
Here are a few tips for increasing employees’ “psychological ownership” – and ultimately, their productivity:
- Connect the dots. Tie each employee’s job to your company’s “big picture.” Explain how individual tasks directly impact co-workers, other departments, your customers and the community.
- Whenever a new task is assigned, explain why the work needs to be done.
- Give employees feedback on the results they produce and the outcomes their work creates.
- When appropriate, empower your team to make decisions and create solutions.
Place time constraints on tasks.
Ever hear of Parkinson’s law? It’s a fundamental work principle which purports that work expands or contracts to fill the time available for its completion. At work, it looks something like this:
Give an employee 45 minutes to complete a task, and he’ll get the job done. Give him an hour to do the same job, and he’ll probably take the full 60 minutes to complete it.
Sound familiar? If so, providing more structure can dramatically improve your team’s productivity. Here’s how:
- Create a process efficiency team. Ideally, this should be a cross-functional team, including members at various levels and in a wide range of departments. Fresh perspective and objectivity are essential to process improvement.
- Observe. Watch employees performing their daily tasks, creating estimates of how long things typically take to do. Ask employees to create their own time estimates for daily tasks, so you can get a clear picture of time requirements.
- Create time constraints. Use the data you gather to develop realistic targets for how long everyday tasks should take. Then, set time budgets for their completion moving forward.
Keep your focus where it belongs –
On accomplishing your highest priorities! As a leading Nashville staffing firm, Wood Personnel is your partner in productivity. Whether you’re facing a tight deadline, are bogged down by busy work, or need to fast-track a critical project, we can provide the resources you need to stay focused and productive. How can we help? Give our Nashville employment experts a call.
Looking for more productivity tips?
Check out these earlier posts from Wood Personnel:
Boosting Productivity – it’s as easy as leaving your employees alone (sort of)
Maximizing Productivity in a Cubicle Work Environment
Want to Ramp-up Productivity? Start with Your Employees’ Workspaces
