10 Tips to Maximize Your Workforce Efficiency
Ms. Pomerantz is the CEO of TPG HR Services USA and has over 35 years of Human Resources practices experience. She holds a Master’s in Human Resource Management (MHRM) and is a certified Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) and SHRM Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP). Mary also serves as CEO of Mary Pomerantz Advertising, one of the largest recruitment advertising agencies in the country. Earlier in her career, she was president of the 17th largest staffing firm in the country.
It’s no secret that time is money. The faster your employees can accomplish their tasks, the more valuable their hours are. For example, if you have one team of factory workers who can produce three units in one hour, vs. another team of the same size that can produce five units in one hour, obviously the second team is working more efficiently and is thus more valuable, even though both earn equal compensation. This concept extends far beyond the walls of a factory. No matter what type of business you’re in, you should be taking every possible measure to maximize your workforce efficiency. Implement the following suggestions to improve your employee productivity and efficiency.[1]
1. Workforce Efficiency Recommendation: Incentivize Employees
We all work a little harder and smarter when there’s something extra to be gained, and it doesn’t have to be in the form of a huge pay raise either. A gift card to a local eatery for lunch, a half-day, a closer parking spot or any other small perk can provide enough incentive to get the most out of your staff.
2. Workforce Efficiency Recommendation: Cut Down on Meetings
You may think your weekly meetings are extremely helpful, but they are likely not as essential as you believe. One recent study found that the average U.S. employee wastes 31 hours per month in unproductive meetings. You may want to reconsider how much your meetings are actually helping your employees get their jobs done as quickly as possible.
3. Workforce Efficiency Recommendation: Ensure They Have the Right Equipment
While this may require an extra monetary investment, upgrading your equipment could really save your employees some time. Make sure your workers have equipment that helps them be more productive as opposed to slowing them down (like outdated office technology).
4. Workforce Efficiency Recommendation: Don’t Ignore Coaching, Training, and Feedback
Don’t make the mistake of assuming that your employees know exactly what you’re looking for. Offer job training to improve their skills offer coaching to point them in the right direction and offer feedback so they know whether they’re doing a good job or not.
5. Workforce Efficiency Recommendation: Empower them with Autonomy
It may seem counterintuitive, but most employees do their best work when they don’t have a manager breathing down their neck. Let your employees be as independent as possible and trust them to self-correct their processes when necessary.
6. Workforce Efficiency Recommendation: Encourage Mental Breaks
Rather than monitoring all of their social media use and web browsing on company time, encourage your workers to take regular breaks to maximize their productivity. Taking short breaks during a long project will help your workers remain consistently focused.
7. Workforce Efficiency Recommendation: Lead by Example
If you’re constantly wasting time around the workplace, your employees will do the same. While it is good to have interaction with your employees you do not want to be the cause of unnecessary workplace interruptions. It is always good to lead by example and try to remain on task and focused on doing your own job.
8. Workforce Efficiency Recommendation: Communication is Key
One of the biggest time wasters is workers being unsure about what exactly they are supposed to be doing. Employers who can clearly communicate expectations and responsibilities set their workers up for greater success. Be sure to focus your workplace communication on solutions and future possibilities as opposed to problems of the past and placing blame.
9. Workforce Efficiency Recommendation: Know Your Employees’ Skills and Motivations
Effective delegation begins with knowing what your employees are good at and what they will struggle with. Cater to the strengths of your employees and keep in mind their motivations. For example, a mother of three children may be more motivated by an extra day off or some workplace flexibility, whereas a young recent college graduate may be more motivated by small financial incentives.
10. Workforce Efficiency Recommendation: Cutout the Excess
Review the daily workflow of your staff to determine what tasks are absolutely necessary and which ones can be removed to improve workforce efficiency. Employees spend countless hours opening, reading, and responding to emails, writing up daily reports for supervisors and other doing other duties that may or may not have any obvious benefit to your company’s overall goals.
Happy Employees Are Usually the Most Engaged Employees
Happy employees who understand the company goals and have a firm grasp of how their responsibilities help the company meet its objectives are more efficient. If you would like to improve your workforce efficiency, you must start by focusing on your employee engagement. Workers who are mentally checked out will not perform at their best. Many of the aforementioned suggestions to improve your workforce efficiency will also help with engagement.
But if you’re like most other business owners and managers, you may not have the time to create, implement and oversee the policies that are needed to increase employee engagement. Partnering with an established human resource provider like HR Services USA will allow you to focus on the other areas of your business while we focus on managing your workforce and maximizing productivity. We’ve worked with businesses of all sizes and throughout multiple industries and are confident we will help you reach your goals. Contact us today at 732-917-9600 to learn more.