Successful businesses are productive businesses. One way to achieve high productivity is to keep employees motivated—a task easily achieved if the only thing required were a company party once a year. But as nice a notion that may be, it won’t make employees feel any more included, and it won’t make them more productive.So how can HR managers boost team productivity? Here are four unconventional tips for keeping productivity on the up:
Surprise Employees with a Break
What’s that? Taking a break to be more productive? Seems like the opposite of what you should be doing, but routine can be the death of healthy activity. Not that employees should be expecting a break, but when it’s appropriate, giving employees a chance to detach is good for the brain and the body no matter the vocation.
Start a Wellness Program
Workplaces can sometimes put people on autopilot. As invigorating as any job may be, the same work can become tedious or routine. But one of the best ways to change things up is to have a wellness program.
Wellness is a growing trend in the marketplace, with more employers adopting wellness programs either internally or through a third-party vendor. Production is increased because employees are healthier. It’s an equation as simple as it is effective.
Decorate (Seriously)
Not everyone is blessed with a mind for decoration. But that doesn’t mean your office space or where you work needs to go without some décor. One of the best ways to keep employees engaged is to encourage office decoration. Studies show employees with more control over their workplace tend to have “healthier,” “happier” and “more productive” work lives.
Naturally, there are boundaries to set here—no offensive posters or sayings on the walls—but, encouraging friendly pictures, personal calendars or even a plant or two are good ways to give your workplace a boost. Hold a contest to see who can outshine the others. These kinds of creative exercises are good for the mind and breed loyalty within an organization.
Use Practical Tools for Managing New Employees
Sometimes we feel like making new processes is the answer to our current frustrations. But many times, our new “process” ends up being more of a burden than its original purpose. Then comes the frustration again.
For HR managers, the hiring and recruiting process should not be hindered by other activities. But how does an HR manager handle that when there are so many other things going on? For starters, have a management tool to relieve the added worries. Cut back on the hassles of paper sifting and emailing inadequate applicants with applicant tracking software. Give yourself peace of mind rather than the norm of hectic task management.