10 Insanely Simple Ways to Increase Business Productivity

6. Measure Performance

One of the simplest ways to increase productivity is to assess how well your employees are doing. By measuring their performance with appropriate standards, you can identify which of your workers are excelling and which are not.

With the data, you can then start analyzing what factors contribute to the quality of work delivered by top performers. You can also proactively help underachieving employees work on methods practiced by peers who are very productive. Incentives to aid performance may also work, motivating your team to work harder and smarter.

7. Keep Employees Happy

Employees who dread going to work just won’t be as productive as those who come into the office with smiles on their faces. Whether it’s because their immediate supervisors are unfriendly, their equipment is lousy, or there just isn’t a very welcoming atmosphere, it’s your responsibility as the leader to get those problems straightened out.

Foster a work environment that makes them feel like they are part of something that matters, not that they are just another cog in the machine that can be replaced at any given moment.

8. Follow a Schedule

Having a schedule for all your important tasks goes without saying, but how many times have you and your employees been late to a meeting or took too long on a brainstorming session? How many times have you had to move client calls or delay projects because of such hold-ups?

Not sticking to the schedule starts a domino effect that will disturb your entire operation, ultimately reducing productivity. Always take into account the time spent in your activities, and move forward once the time allotted is spent.

9. Leverage Technology

In this day and age where smartphones and tablets are the norm, there is simply no excuse for a company to not make use of technology to streamline work and increase productivity. Desktop computers are readily available in most workplaces, but there can be more to them than simple word processing or creating tables.

The Internet is a valuable resource on its own, with plenty of helpful articles, websites, and tools that your small business can use. It’s all a matter of finding out which ones will be helpful in getting your employees working to their fullest.

10. Eliminate Distractions

Maximum productivity can only be attained when employees are fully focused on their tasks. Any time spent on other trivial activities that have no bearing on their work, such as browsing social networks or playing games on their smartphones, should be limited. However, not all distractions come in those forms. Loud music played on the radio or teams discussing projects in the same room can also be a hindrance.

Take note of things that distract your employees, and start enforcing rules to eliminate them. You can still let them enjoy diversions, but have them do so only during appropriately spread-out breaks.

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Carrina Candice is a content specialist of Salehoo , an online community for online traders and retailers. They offer a wide range of products from online sales training and their leading product a wholesale directory. You can follow her through Twitter: @iamcayester