How to Increase Productivity in the Workplace

Companies have always wondered how to make employees more productive. This can be a multifaceted undertaking, but some of the main approaches to increasing productivity in the workplace include setting clear goals, gamifying work, centering employee recognition, and encouraging employee growth.

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Understanding Productivity

‘Productivity’ doesn’t mean working harder. Increasing productivity is about improving processes and environments to make employees feel better and to trim away wasted time.

Boosting productivity with gamification can be helpful, but it’s only one piece of the puzzle. In a way, productivity is about working both systemically and emotionally smarter.

Techniques for Increasing Productivity

Improving productivity isn’t a switch a company or a manager can just turn on–it’s a complicated network of small adjustments that work together. Here are some you can try:

Clear Goals

It’s important in any work environment that every employee knows not only what they’re doing, but how it fits into the larger picture. This has a number of benefits.

First, it means employees can approach their work the smartest way for them, which might be different if they don’t know the end goal and measures of success. Second, when workers have a sense of the larger framework of a company, they feel a stronger attachment to the business and deeper understanding of their coworkers and teammates. This fosters engagement, which, in turn, fosters productivity.

Gamification

Gamification is what it sounds like: turning something into a game. This is done with the goal of making something more palatable or engaging, and it’s often seen in apps aiming to help people keep up a workout routine or follow a diet.

At offices, gamification can help raise engagement, build relationships, and foster pride among employees. This can be done with rewards, leaderboards in which workers can see their successes made public, or by awarding points (that can somehow be used to the employee’s benefit) based on accomplishments. Gamification isn’t the easiest item of this list to implement, but it can be one of the top five ways to motivate employees.

Employee Recognition

Employee recognition is one of the easiest things any company or manager can do to increase motivation. It also has the highest returns on investment. Small acts, such as making a point to acknowledge an employee in a zoom call or a company email, can go a long way.

It’s also important to make sure that not only successes are acknowledged. People want their work to be recognized, even when it isn’t a success or doesn’t have an end date. Recognizing employee contributions can make them feel seen, which can make them feel more connected to the company, and more likely to be motivated by their work.

Just like leaderboards with gamification, it’s a good idea to make this recognition public. It’s important that higher-ups acknowledge the hard work of their employees, but it’s also important that when someone sits down at their desk to work, they know that if they work hard, those around them will know about it.

Employee Growth

Another way to ensure employees feel seen as individuals and valued parts of the workplace is by investing in them. Providing chances for advancement and growth is also one of the things that increases motivation and also benefits the company as a whole.

This can look like establishing a clear path of job advancement so employees can plan their future with a company. It can also look like training programs, workshops, and company-funded certifications.

This also sidesteps the risk that employees become bored as every day becomes the same. When people learn new skills, their worldview changes, and it opens new opportunities for new conversations and new situations in which they can feel like a respected part of the business.

Final Thoughts

Trying to force more productivity out of employees will only damage the company, both in the short and long term; people under pressure often perform worse, and it’s only a matter of time until that pressured employee leaves for somewhere better. By setting clear goals, gamifying work, centering employee recognition, and encouraging employee growth, you can create a better work environment for your employees and increase productivity while you do it.

If you want help growing productivity, Centrical can help. We’re experts at improving employee output and workplace health. Watch our platform in action with a quick preview, and check out our post on the twelve elements of employee engagement!