9 Simple Ways to Increase Productivity in the Workplace

Poor indoor air quality (IAQ) can give rise to sick building syndrome (SBS). Experts estimate that SBS costs the US economy $20 to $70 billion. These costs result from productivity losses, days away from work, and medical bills.

SBS can affect your workers’ health as it can give rise to respiratory symptoms. It can even trigger headaches, nausea, and even skin itchiness or rashes. All these health consequences, in turn, can have adverse effects on employee productivity.

Regular heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) maintenance is key to optimal IAQ. After all, it’s the HVAC system that circulates conditioned air throughout the office. If you let it get too filthy, it will blow dirty air all over the workplace, too.

Besides, commercial HVAC maintenance can lower your heating and cooling costs by up to 40%. You can then use those savings to roll out employee perks or even treat your workers to lunch. These small tokens of appreciation can then help heighten employee productivity.

Researchers say that clutter can reduce a person’s ability to concentrate. It can also increase stress levels and even make people feel anxious. Anyone who experiences all these is likely to be unable to give their best performance.

That’s why your office should have a clutter-free policy. Have your employees get rid of unnecessary documents at the end of each workday. Give them the freedom to decorate their desks, but in exchange, they should keep them tidy at all times.

In 2019, 2.8 million nonfatal work injuries and illnesses occurred in the private US work sector. These occupational health hazards resulted in 32,470 days away from work.

Some of the most common workplace illnesses include skin diseases and respiratory infections. Many of these are a result of unsanitary work environments. Pathogens, like bacteria and viruses, are quick to spread in a dirty, unkempt workplace.

Regular office cleaning services can help prevent productivity-draining illnesses from befalling your employees. For starters, commercial cleaners will brush, sweep, and vacuum the entire workplace. They will also disinfect surfaces, which can help mitigate infectious diseases.

Having a clean and disinfected office also raises morale in the workplace. After all, no one would want to work in a place they think could make them sick.

Every worker, under federal and state laws, has a right to a safe work environment. These laws make unsafe workplace conditions illegal throughout the US. Employers who breach these laws violate the Occupational Safety and Health Act.

However, employers aren’t always at fault for all job accidents; in many cases, it’s the workers. For example, employees may sustain injuries for not following safety protocols. As mentioned above, work injuries lead to absenteeism, which then hurts productivity.

As such, you need to have a strict safety policy to help reduce accidents at the workplace. Have your employees undergo training specific to their line of work. Don’t forget to post printed copies of your policy in places where everyone can easily see them.

The fewer the hazards at work, the lower your workplace injury or illness rate. This will then result in lower absenteeism rates, too. Ultimately, the safer your workplace, the healthier and more productive your people.

According to one study, employees waste up to 28 minutes of their time when they encounter an IT issue. The researchers also found that, on average, workers run into at least two of these issues every week.

That translates to almost 45 hours of wasted time each year!

You can counter these productivity-draining IT woes by investing in reliable business computers. These include enterprise workstations, such as those that you can find over at www.Lenovo.com.

Workstations are best for businesses since they come with ISV Certifications. ISV stands for independent software vendors. ISV-certified computers, in turn, are devices proven reliable for enterprise-level use.

In short, ISV-certified devices can withstand heavier use, which is common in businesses. They’re also much faster and durable than traditional desktops. All these features make them less prone to IT problems and equipment breakdown.

Plus, most of today’s workstations come with at least three years of warranty. That means you won’t have to worry about paying for parts and labor for the next three years.

Using automation software and tools for redundant tasks can free up a good chunk of your time. For one, these are smart applications that require little human intervention. It’s also for this reason that they help reduce costly human mistakes, such as data entry errors.

Here are a few examples of activities you can automate:

• Appointment scheduling
• Invoicing and billing
• Payments for utilities
• Data back-up
• Rolling out weekend or month-end reminders

For instance, if you use an appointment scheduling system like SuperSaas, you will save everyone time by allowing the customer to go online, at a time that is convenient for them, to book an appointment. Systems like this also send out automatic reminders to customers and options to reschedule so you can avoid no-shows. You can then use the time you save for more productive work, such as essential business tasks. Your employees can use the same strategy so that they can use their time more efficiently, too.

A previous study found that almost a third of business owners clock in more than 50 work hours a week. Nearly nine in 10 of them also reported working during the weekends.

That’s impressive and all, but if you keep doing that, it’s going to compromise your health. Falling ill, in turn, is counterproductive to your goals of being more productive.

What you should do instead is to delegate some of your tasks to one or two of your best employees. Make sure, however, that these activities are still in line with their job description. Otherwise, you risk burning them out, as well.

In one survey, 65% of employees said they weren’t recognized by their boss even once.

Unfortunately, this lack of appreciation has pushed many workers to say, “I quit.” The same study revealed that a staggering 79% of employees quit for this reason.

That’s why, as early as now, it’s best that you start practicing positive reinforcement at work.

Don’t wait until it’s too late before you give recognition where it’s due. Otherwise, your business would be at risk of losing talents. Not only will this lead to productivity losses, but it will also cost you in terms of employee turnover.

Besides, positive reinforcement doesn’t always have to be monetary. It can be as simple as telling them they did an awesome job. That can be enough to make them repeat that desirable act or even do much better the next time.

Of course, you’d also want to reward talents who’ve shown time and time again that they do incredible work. You don’t have to give them a salary raise right away, but you should at least give them a token of appreciation. These can include gift cards to their favorite restaurant, shop, or spa.

The most important thing is to acknowledge and praise those who deserve recognition. This can also help motivate others to do a better job, as they’d also want to be that person you congratulate.

Another common reason folks leave their jobs is because of a boss who doesn’t listen. That’s just as bad as a manager who doesn’t know how to provide positive reinforcement.

In any case, some employees who think of quitting may become less productive. Others may even call in sick, not because they no longer care but likely because they’re out looking for a new job.

All that can hurt your office productivity, so before they happen, learn how to listen to your people.

The results may be even better if you proactively encourage them to give feedback. Ask them if there’s anything they think can help them become better at what they do. If it’s attainable, give it a shot, as it may be the only thing they need to stay productive.

Follow These Tips To Improve Productivity in the Workplace

There you have it, your complete guide on how to boost productivity in the workplace. As you can see, there are many things you can do, from improving IAQ to using the right business computers. So, as early as today, follow as many of the tips we’ve shared so that you can start raising your bottom line.

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