Efficiency accelerated: How to maximize productivity across your organization

An engaged and productive workforce helps businesses generate more revenue, reduce costs, and achieve a strong financial position. A focus on productivity can also make employees feel empowered and encourage a culture of continuous improvement.

On the flip side, low productivity is a serious problem. According to Gallup, employees who aren’t engaged can cost their company 18% of their annual salary. For a large company with 10,000 employees earning $50,000 each, over $60 million is lost yearly.

In 2024, with competition as fierce as ever, businesses must focus on improving the productivity of their staff. This article looks at some strategies for accelerating workforce efficiency.

• Give employees the tech they need
• Embrace automation
• Offer a remote/hybrid work model
• Provide learning opportunities
• Promote effective goal setting
• Create a positive company culture
• Summary

Employees who don’t have the technology they need to complete their tasks are more frustrated and less productive.

According to research by Freshworks, 57% of employees surveyed believed that the limitations of their current software made them less productive in their roles.

The same research also found that nearly half (49%) of employees reported that inadequate workplace technology causes them to feel stressed. 48% said it negatively impacted their mental health. Employee stress can lead to staff turnover which harms productivity.

For businesses wishing to keep talented employees and improve productivity, providing the tech their staff needs is a must.

Cloud services can help because they give employees quick access to the technology they need at an affordable price point. However, using third-party cloud applications can be a gateway for hackers. To combat vulnerabilities, businesses must implement a robust asset management solution.

Another benefit of asset management is that it allows IT teams to quickly and easily ensure that all software and hardware is up-to-date and compliant. Remote patch management increases the efficiency of busy IT professionals by allowing them to proactively maintain a distributed IT fleet, regardless of their location.

Automation refers to the use of software tools to complete tasks and processes with a reduced need for human input.

Automation tools are particularly useful for completing manual, time-consuming tasks prone to human error. For example, social media automation tools simplify posting across several channels and help ensure that posts go out on time.

Automation improves productivity by completing repetitive tasks quickly and accurately. This allows employees to focus more of their time on big-picture projects that require creativity or strategic thinking.

Nowadays, automation tools exist for every business department, from marketing to HR, IT, and sales. This makes automation one of the fastest ways to improve a business’s efficiency. Moreover, advances in technology are making automation tools even more beneficial. For example, automation tools using real-time data and artificial intelligence (AI) allow businesses to automate the delivery of highly personalized customer experiences at scale.

Automation tools also improve job satisfaction. In a survey by Salesforce, nearly 90% of participants said they felt more satisfied with their jobs after using automation technology. 84% said they felt more satisfied with their employer after introducing the technology. Retaining talent is a major priority for all businesses, and automation can help.

Remote and hybrid work arrangements have been shown to make employees more productive.

A study by Stanford University in 2020 found that people who worked from home were 5% more productive than those in an office. By 2022, their productivity had increased to 9% because companies got used to remote work and investing in the right technology.

One big reason for higher productivity is that remote and hybrid workers save by commuting less. Research from the Becker Friedman Institute found that time saved working remotely led to employees, on average, completing 45 minutes of extra work per week.

Businesses can save money too – Ctrip estimated saving around $1900 per employee over nine months by not needing as much office space and furniture.

If companies want to increase productivity, they should think about letting employees work remotely or in a mix of home and office. But to make it work well, they need to invest in technology that supports this way of working.

Employee training is important for any organization. It helps employees grow, enjoy their jobs, and be more productive. In fact, a study by the Association for Talent Development found that when companies offer comprehensive training programs, they have 218% higher income per employee than companies without formalized training. These companies also enjoy a 24% higher profit margin. An investment in employee training also indicates to staff that the business is committed to investing in their development.

Creating a culture based on training and development requires businesses to establish programs that help employees build the skills and knowledge needed for success. Four common methods of training include seminars, on-the-job training, e-learning, and mentorships.

Gartner research suggests that effective goal setting can boost employee performance by as much as 22%. Businesses can guide employees toward effective goal setting by taking the following steps.

Help managers provide context for goal setting

Providing managers with information about company strategy allows them to link business priorities with their teams’ tasks. Team members can then set more effective goals because they understand how their work contributes to the overall goals of the company. According to Gartner, managers who are highly effective at contextualization can boost the percentage of high performers in a team from 44% to 60%.

Make goal setting collaborative

With workplaces becoming more collaborative, the idea of making goal setting a team activity makes sense. Creating a collaborative approach requires team members to understand how their individual goals relate to the other team members. Once team goals are established, achievement becomes a joint responsibility.

Empower employees to update goals regularly

The 2021 Gartner Goal Setting Employee Survey revealed that less than half of the employees surveyed updated their goals after a major change occurred. Regular review sessions with managers are an important part of ensuring that employees’ goals match their responsibilities.

A positive company culture improves productivity, raises morale, and increases job satisfaction. Below are some ways businesses can improve the culture of their workplace.

Establish a clear set of values

Creating and communicating business values to employees is essential. But it is also important that businesses demonstrate these values through action rather than just listing them in a mission statement. For example, if a business’ values are linked to a certain social change initiative, then there should be opportunities for employees to take part in work that actively contributes to this change.

Encourage collaboration and communication

A management approach that encourages collaboration and open and honest communication is an important part of creating a positive workplace culture. Welcoming and acting on employee feedback, providing opportunities for social events, and conducting audits to assess how people are interacting are some ways businesses can improve collaboration and communication.

Develop an inclusive workplace

An inclusive workplace values individual differences and makes sure everyone – regardless of gender, sexual orientation, or color – feels welcome and accepted. Everyone should have the same chances to grow and enjoy benefits and rewards.

Set clear benchmarks

Employees are motivated by goals that they can work towards. Policies for progression and clear performance indicators are important because they allow staff to track their performance against the requirements for reward or promotion.

Summary

In 2024 and beyond, businesses that prioritize productivity will be best placed to succeed.

An important first step is introducing technology that helps employees work more effectively.

A robust asset management solution is an excellent tool for improving the productivity of your IT team. Using asset management, businesses can:

• Automate the cataloging of all devices and software through one dashboard that includes built-in reporting.
• Improve staff productivity by allowing IT professionals to remotely manage all IT devices, software, and updates from a single dashboard.
• Get a detailed overview of all IT assets using asset discovery scans. Scans detect every asset within the network, including hidden shadow IT. They also cover the details of ∼100 properties.