Productivity at work is becoming more of challenge than a goal. With smartphones, internet, and a hundred office distractions in between, employees are having a hard time focusing on their tasks at hand. Good thing this problem is not beyond solving. There are studies devoted to proving effective productivity boosters in the workplace. If you can have some of these things in place, you just might see a spike in your employees’ productivity!
Prioritizing employee happiness
According to a study done by the University of Warwick, happiness increased productivity by 12%. One of its researchers, Professor Andrew Oswald, said that when companies invest in employee support it results in happier workers. They did four experiments among 700 participants and the results have shown “happier subjects are more productive.”
Dr. Daniel Sgroi, one of the researchers said, “The driving force seems to be that happier workers use the time they have more effectively, increasing the pace at which they can work without sacrificing quality.” Google have invested in these initiatives and as a result has seen a 37% increase in employee satisfaction. Woohoo Inc. Founder Alexander Kjerulf said “happiness is the ultimate productivity booster” because they make better decisions and excel at time management when they are happy.
What can you do? Look into how you can make your employees happy and valued. It could be free meals on certain days or every day if you can, giving flexible schedules, providing recreation areas, giving education advancement opportunities, and more.
Bringing furry friends to work
Man’s best friend is also man’s best officemate. A study done by the International Journal of Workplace Health and Management showed that the presence of dogs in the workplace decreased the owner’s stress throughout the day. Other studies have shown that bringing our four-legged friends to work can increase productivity and employee collaboration. These are most likely the reasons why companies like Google, Amazon, Ben & Jerry’s, Autodesk, and Free People have a pet-friendly policy.
What can you do? Do a survey if this is something your employees want because there’s also a downside to it especially if you have limited space. Some of your staff may have allergies, too. You need to create a clear pet policy that is amenable to both pet owners and non-pet owners alike.
Work from home option
In a survey done by Cornerstone on Demand, 65% of workers said that working remotely and flexible schedules will increase their productivity. Nicholas Bloom of Harvard Business Review did a nine-month controlled study on a call center with a group working from home and another group working in the office. Results showed that not only were the remote workers happier, they were also more productive. Not only that, the company also saved an average of $1,900 per employee over the past nine months!
What can you do? Provide a work-from-home option for your employees. You can do it on certain days or you can rotate it. For example, Team A will work remotely for one week then Team B will follow next. It all depends on the nature and demands of your business.
Let Mother Nature do the trick
It’s time to add some foliage to your office space. According to a study done by the University of Queensland in Australia, offices with plants can increase employee productivity by 15%. One of the study’s co-authors, Alex Haslam said, “A green office communicates to employees that their employer cares about them and their welfare.” He also said that office landscaping makes the workplace “more enjoyable, comfortable, and profitable.” The findings also showed that investing in landscaping lead to an increase in workers’ quality of life and productivity.
What can you do? Add pocket plants to your workspaces. Put a vase of vibrant flowers in your meeting rooms. Have a garden where your employees can hang out. Plants may not be able to do the work for you but they can help your workers accomplish more.
Utilize wearable technology
Tesco provides armbands for its store workers which tracks the goods they are gathering along the almost 90 aisles of shelves. No more clipboards for them! The device also allows managers to track how soon they finished, validate order fulfillment, and other related data. The Institute of Management Studies of the University of London did a study called The Human Cloud at Work and found that employees with wearable technology increased productivity by 8.5% and their job satisfaction went up by 3.5%.
What can you do? Start exploring and investing on wearable technology that your workers can use. This can be anything from automated armbands to fatigue-monitoring sensors. If this can make your employees’ work easier and faster then it should be worth looking at.
Boosting employee productivity involves not only increasing work output but also ensuring that they are happy while they’re doing it. Employee satisfaction should come first before else anything because this is the same fuel that will motivate them to be more productive.