Company policies have been known to help in creating structure, systems, and balance in a corporation. However, that’s not the only reason why it exists. These guidelines can also affect and improve the productivity levels of your employees.
That’s right—productivity is involved! It’s not uncommon for you to hear news about office burnouts, work stress, and more. Simple adjustments in your HR policies can help make a profound shift in your employees to work smart. Further, these changes can be a selling point your recruitment firm can advertise to future employees. After all, happy employees are the best promoters.
Employee happiness is incredibly relevant in this discussion, as various reports show that mood is linked with productivity. For instance, one study showed that happy employees are up to 20% more productive than those who are not. This is a huge component of where to center your policies on, as will be discussed in-depth in the infographic below.
HR Policies that Can Raise Employee Productivity
1. Encourage people to take breaks regularly
In the office, it’s easy to forget that there’s a world beyond your work. As HR managers, it’s also your responsibility to encourage your employees to move around and stretch, so they don’t get cooped in their seats for seven to eight hours a day.
You can create an initiative that would remind employees to stand up every hour and do a simple non-work related task, like going to the water cooler to hydrate or strike a conversation with a coworker. Something this small can also release the growing tension or stress from whatever they’re currently working on. Relieving stress is an essential factor in taking breaks!
2. Offer flexible working hours
Flexible working hours doesn’t just mean having them come in at different times of the day. You can add a provision in your policy that they can leave the office whenever it is critical, and have them come back as long as they can finish at least eight (or the required) hours they need. Recognize that your employees have lives outside their jobs, and things happen simultaneously. That way, they can perform important and personal errands that they otherwise would have to take a leave for if they aren’t allowed to exit the office at any time of the day.
3. Find out ways to reduce employee effort
Ask your employees what works for them! You can create surveys to get into the minds of your team members. More often than not, they already have ideas on how to improve office productivity since they are always faced with situations they deem challenging every day. It’s your responsibility to unlock these and develop creative solutions that would put a stop to their woes. Assume a customer-centric approach with your employees, where you keep communication lines open, promote transparency, and enact solutions quickly.
4. Place a limit on meetings
Let’s face it: Not all meetings are necessary. Sometimes, issues can be resolved via email or instant messaging. To help your different departments decide, you can create a meeting task flow manager with outlines that they can fill up. If they’re unable to appropriately fill this up, perhaps you can suggest a different method for the team to discuss their concerns.
On the other hand, you can impose time limits on meeting formats so that the team can delve deep into issues that need to be discussed right away.
5. Provide comfortable workstations
Organizing a conducive work environment is more than just ensuring that your employees have comfortable chairs, ample desk space, and working equipment—though those are incredibly important. It’s also about making sure that your office space is designed for maximum utility, and that individual facilities are nearest to the departments or people that need them the most.
For instance, if you have a team that regularly needs to conduct conference calls, they should have access to a meeting room that provides everything they need. If there’s a team that needs to frequently be in and out of the office, station them next to the door to reduce the effort they need to do their jobs.
6. Incentivize cooperation with policies
There’s nothing like giving your staff members the extra motivation to work on their tasks! Besides stipulated salary increases that they are entitled to in their contracts, you could also craft policies for bonuses or some healthy inter-department competition for free meals or other relevant prizes. This not only promotes camaraderie but gives your employees the push they need to work on their tasks with more vigor and strategy.
Working Smart Begins Here
Tweaking your company policies to prioritize the workflow of your employees can bring about considerable benefits to your company. As mentioned, happy employees are more productive than those who are not. If you get out of their way and make it easier for them to do their best work, then your business has a bright future ahead.
What policies are you going to implement to encourage your staff to work smart?
