Solving The Productivity Puzzle

Despite some recent improvements, the UK still ranks below many of our competitors, when it comes to the 'output per worker per hour' metric.

Productivity rates vary by industry, but there are some tried and tested ways to make improvements in any business.

?? SIMPLICITY

Creating a plan to improve productivity needs buy-in across the business. So it stands to reason that it needs to be understood by everyone. Having a clear message with simple steps and desired outcomes is critical.

But above all else, the plan MUST be practical and easy to get off the ground. Start now and get perfect later...

?? TIME-WASTING

The human attention span is the time spent concentrating on a task before we get distracted. And research suggests that our attention span is actually decreasing at an alarming rate.

Time is a precious commodity. Distractions and non-essential business activities can destroy productivity.

Just a few areas to tackle are unfocused (or unnecessary) meetings, excessive emailing, social media and lack of organisational process.

One of the biggest productivity killers of all is the dreaded positive procrastination. Keeping busy by doing things of little significance, in order to avoid the (sometimes uncomfortable) tasks which will make the biggest difference to productivity.

?? TOTAL FOCUS

There are two parts to getting focus right. At a personal level and an organisational level. Having a clear and focused plan for the entire business has already been touched on.

In reality, this can often fall down when it comes to the implementation; simply because everyone gets bogged down with all the other stuff on their plate.

In order to avoid too much multi-tasking, it's worth asking the team to audit their time over a typical week, to understand how their time is used. Then, roles need to be modified around specific productivity-enhancing tasks.

?? PEOPLE FIRST

Perhaps one of the most powerful ways to increase productivity is by establishing a genuine sense of ownership. Giving individuals full accountability for specific activities and outcomes can be a game changer for some organisations.?And it can reduce 'presenteeism' where staff turn up, only in the physical sense.

Hire the best people you can find, give them what they need to deliver a clear objective and then let them do their job with minimal interference.

Incentivisation is also key to this approach. Not just around financial reward, but around flexibility, inclusion, one-to-one meetings, wellness schemes and the chance to schedule in downtime.

?? LEVERAGE TECH

Yes, technology can be a mega-distraction for all of us. But used effectively to automate specific tasks, it can save time, money and boost productivity. Everything from plant machinery to sales and marketing programs. And not just the individual apps and software packages, but the ability to connect platforms and processes together, using systems like Zapier.

?? KPIs

What gets measured, gets improved. Setting goals and monitoring progress against them is essential. Measurement, analysis and adjustments should be a continuous cycle of improvement, built into business processes and the overall culture.