Whether your staff is working on-site in your office or remotely, you may be noticing more deadlines being missed, less participation in meetings, and work products filled with errors. Your employees seem less motivated than usual, impacting your business’ progress as the entire work pace is off. This rut could not only slow down your output of products or services that you offer your stakeholders, but it could be costing you more money on resources or reduced pricing for disappointed clients.
Your business cannot afford to allow an inefficient workflow. You know your staff members are capable of higher efficiency and quality of work, so how do you push them to do better?
Before you start pointing fingers at your employees as the reason for low productivity, you should consider some factors regarding your workplace. There could be several reasons that your employees are unable to work efficiently. Here are some potential causes of impaired staff productivity that you may need to address:
Problem: Unsuitable Office Layout
Your staff could not manage to focus on their work because your office layout does not offer sufficient spacing. If employees are sharing desk spaces or their stations are within tight proximity, one employee’s commotion could be distracting another. One team member may be failing to meet their deadlines because their desk or cubicle partner is throwing them off with constant phone conversations, socializing with other staff members who visit their cubicle, or their disorganized workspace.
Your office may only have one meeting room, meaning your employees can only hold one meeting at a time with clients or fellow staff members. Scheduling delays in meetings will lead to delays in executing projects or assignments, causing slower workflow and product output. If you work in a shared office building, frequent fire drills or elevator issues can have a ripple effect on overall productivity as these occurrences soak up valuable time in their workday.
Solution: Find a New Office Space
Consider looking for an office that is more appropriate for your employees to work efficiently. Maybe open concept offices will be more effective if your business requires constant collaboration. Try finding a space with multiple conference rooms so numerous meetings can be held at once, leading to more getting done sooner. An independent office space may be more appropriate for your larger business, so you control what happens in the building and plan if you know when construction, fire drills, etc., will be taking place.
Problem: Unqualified Staff
If you posted a non-detailed job posting about your available career opportunity, you likely received very few applicants. With fewer options, you had to hire a candidate that was not qualified for your job position. Your unqualified staff members are likely causing an intense delay in your workplace productivity as they try to learn your business’s principles and how to fulfill the responsibilities of their job role. These weaker staff members likely produce work that is full of flaws, often requiring many revisions or re-dos.
Solution: Promote Your Career Opportunities Effectively
Rather than sharing minimalist job postings, put thought and effort into your shared job postings. If you regularly sponsor international employees, you should be following the steps for creating effective immigration ads to draw appropriate candidates for your busines
Your job posting should be well-constructed with concise, informative writing and attention-grabbing details that will convince top talent to apply for your open position. Fortunately, there are plenty of agencies committed to immigration labor advertising who will create well-strategized postings. If you are onboarding an international employee who meets your well-developed job posting requirements, you must follow the appropriate immigration advertising process. That way, your new hire can receive their green card and work for your U.S. company.
When hiring, give thought to the type of employee you want to join your team. Consider your employer branding, which defines your business goals, target audience, and your workplace culture. By including effective messaging in your immigration ads, including local and national job postings, you will find more eligible candidates applying to work for your business. They will have the appropriate experience or education to understand your business workflow and processes and manage to create quality work. Your qualified staff will speed up your business productivity, lead to more satisfied stakeholders, and likely increase your profits.
Problem: Lack of Work-Life Balance
Your industry could be fast-paced and high-stress, requiring your employees to invest more than forty hours of work weekly. They could be working overtime hours, cutting into their valuable time to spend with family or relax and restore. With heavy overtime, your workplace could be impacting the amount of sleep your employees are getting nightly, which is throwing off their ability to focus at work.
If your staff is investing too much time in their professional life, their personal lives may be unsatisfactory. They’re left with little to no free time to maintain relationships or take care of themselves. They’re likely burnt out from working too many hours and not having the chance to take their mind off business and invest in hobbies or personal interests that will bring them joy and allow their minds to relax. You could notice slower workflow and flawed projects, and more tension and conflict in the workplace as your employees’ stress levels are high and their coping abilities are almost nonexistent.
Solution: Establish Work-Life Balance
If you take the necessary measures to ensure your employees balance their professional and personal lives, you’ll find higher productivity fast. If your employees feel fulfilled in their personal lives, they’ll be in a better mindset to concentrate on working efficiently. Your work environment will be positive as your staff has time to take care of their family, friends, and their well-being. This will lead to stronger coworker bonding and higher employee retention rates as your staff will want to remain loyal to an employee who cares about offering balance so they can find fulfillment in all facets of their lives.
With a few simple adjustments, your staff will end up working better and faster, so your business can continue moving forward. Your qualified employees will value you as their employers as your company allows them to find balance and thrive professionally.
