5 Resolutions to Increase Your Company’s Productivity in 2021

Depending on the industry you are in, the pandemic has either supercharged your business or forced you to pivot significantly. In both cases, productivity has heightened in importance. Managers and executives have a key role to play in stickhandling employee productivity - these resolutions can help you gain control of it and measure results. 

1. Check in with employees and see what they need

The beginning of January is a great time to schedule meetings one-on-one with your employees to see what their challenges are and how you can help them overcome them. This may range from upgrading software solutions and hardware to changing processes to allow for faster approvals and more detailed project plans. Even at a great company, some employees may be afraid to start this conversation unless asked, and may just keep working with what they’ve got because they hesitate to ask for help. If you come to them offering it, chances are good you can help them clear the decks for a productive 2021. 

It’s worth noting that a group meeting won’t really work for this - employees will have individual requests tailored to their own jobs, and some of their requests may relate to other employees that are throwing roadblocks in their path. Individual discussions are the only way to handle this properly. 

Once the initial discussion is had, schedule monthly one-on-one check ins so employees feel heard and appreciated. Even if they have nothing to report it is a great way to stay connected. 

2. Ask management to critically examine their own productivity

The same one-on-one discussions should be had with managers after the one-on-ones with employees are complete. A big problem that managers have is appropriate delegation. Over time, they may have taken on tasks that are deemed “too hard” or too much for their employees. With enough of these tasks on their plate, they lack the time to perform essential management duties. Ask them to critically examine how many of these tasks they have taken on and which they can download back to employees with the right training. If your business is one of those that is thriving during the pandemic, their departments may also require additional employees to properly manage tasks. 

3. Have clear and transparent goals and project planning

While you can’t change last-minute requests from clients, you can change last-minute changes to a project due to an unclear understanding of what that project is in the first place. It’s always great to respond quickly to client requests but there must be a clear outline of what the task is and what the expectations of your team and the client are. Taking half an hour to sketch this out can save you from unmet client expectations and misunderstandings from staff. If you are managing a number of projects, you may want to look at project management software to keep track of tasks and delegate them appropriately. 

4. Improve employee morale and look out for their mental health

Everyone’s mood has taken a hit in 2020, and while vaccines are on the near horizon, management and staff can use your help to stay on track until the finish line on the pandemic has been crossed. Trying to focus on work during a global pandemic is difficult even for your most highly motivated employees. 

Morale boosters can come in the form of online exercise or yoga classes, mindfulness courses, or offering employees free forms of online education which they can take advantage of during work hours. If you’re placing too much of a focus on results and not enough on the wellbeing of your staff, you may find that they burn out quickly. 

Employee mental health was in the spotlight well before the pandemic. For 2021, have a look at what your group benefits cover to make sure staff have enough access to counseling and other mental health supports. Addiction and divorce rates have increased steadily throughout the pandemic, and your employees may need help through difficult times well after everyone has received a COVID-19 vaccine. With poorer mental health, your employees will forget important details and be far less productive. 

5. Implement Prodoscore to Monitor Productivity 

How can you tell if your business is actually increasing its productivity levels? Measuring that progress to see what is working and what isn’t is vital. Prodoscore is a productivity management software that allows management to see what employees are doing by visualizing how they are interacting with specific tools. It also increases employee engagement and productivity by assigning a productivity score to highlight how productive they are. Contact us today to book a demonstration.