What Are The Top Issues That Affect Productivity In The Workplace?

The workforce is one of the most important assets of any business. If it’s not working to its full potential then productivity can be adversely affected. There are many reasons why this can happen. Even in the same workplace, different factors can affect the productivity of individuals, which in turn affects productivity levels overall.

If you run a business, it helps to know about issues that can affect productivity. You may not be able to influence all of them directly, but you may be able to ensure that suitable advice and support is provided. Let’s take a look at some of the main issues which could have this effect.

Lack of Motivation

If you run a business, and the people who work for you are not motivated, they are unlikely to be as productive as they could be. There are methods you can adopt to help motivate your workforce, such as communicating more effectively; we are going to look at this as a separate point. You can also consider introducing incentives, and encouraging delegation. Remember that delegation is not about throwing work at someone and offering them no support. It should be an opportunity for an individual to develop and enhance their career.

Poor Communications

If you do not communicate effectively with the people who work in your business, the level of productivity is likely to suffer. You should have a clear communications strategy and plan in place. This should include communication methods such as regular team meetings, 1 to 1 meetings between team leaders and staff, an Intranet site and email newsletters or updates. If you make sure that the people who work for you are kept in loop they are more likely to be fully productive.

Work Related Stress

As an employer, you have a responsibility to try and resolve issues that employees may have with work related stress. You should make sure that everyone is aware of the signs of stress, and that there are potential resolutions in place. These could include a change of role, or additional training. Any employee is likely to be more productive if they are less stressed about the work they are doing.

Lack of Sleep

The majority of adults need between seven and nine hours sleep each night. Anyone who is missing out on sleep on a regular basis, whether it be due to the need for a new Zenhaven mattress, dealing with a new born baby or other factors, is unlikely to be fully productive at work. You cannot control the sleep habits of people who work for you, but you can provide advice and support on this type of issue, using an Intranet site, or HR workshops.

External Pressures and Stress

It’s not just work related stress that can cause issues with productivity. We all have issues in our lives that can cause us to suffer stress; such as moving home, divorce or a death in the family. It’s worth making the effort to support staff who are suffering from this type of stress, as they will probably return to their best, given time and productivity tools. However, you need to balance this ethos with the needs of the business.

Productivity is something that any business needs to give high priority to. Hopefully, we have provided you with some valuable information about what may be affecting the productivity in your business, and how you can improve matters.

Image from http://www.bmmagazine.co.uk/in-business/health-and-wellbeing/workplace-stress-help-employees/