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Productivity

A company's level of productivity defines how well the business or organization converts resources into goods, products and services. In the workplace, companies use people, machines, computers and a multitude of tangible and intangible resources to improve their business efficiency. Investing in resources that make a company more productive can make it more profitable, as well.

While increasing profit is important, a company's success is not only determined by its bottom line but also by the efficiency of the overall business. Business policies, procedures and practices determine how well a company operates on a day-to-day basis. Top management must make sure that all employees have the tools, equipment and supplies necessary to effectively perform their jobs. It is also management's responsibility to ensure that employees are productive during work hours. Therefore, management must have rules in place to deal with issues that can decrease business efficiency, such as excessive socialization, extended lunch breaks and a poor work ethic.

A company is more successful when employees are satisfied with their jobs and morale is high. Fair wages, reasonable hours and a solid benefits package are just some of the perks that most employees expect. Read more about productivity by following the links on this Business.com page.

Productivity Improvement Strategies

More productive workers mean more time and energy for improving the bottom line.

What are your biggest barriers to productivity? Low morale and sluggish motivation? A lack of focus? Or clutter, procrastination and time eaten up by small, repetitive tasks?

When it comes to improving your organization's overall productivity, small things can count as much as the big things. Wasted seconds add up over time, and what looks like minimal disorganization can create distraction. And if employees aren't sure who they're serving or what their focus should be, they may lack the motivation to do their jobs well.

A more productive workplace is ultimately a more profitable and enjoyable workplace. In order to maximize productivity, an organization must:

Eliminate clutter and other drains on time and energy.
Have a clear mission and communicate that mission to employees.
Help employees use their time and skills efficiently.

Get a handle on your time and space

Clutter and lack of focus can eat up productivity. Consider hiring a professional or attending a training program that will help you manage your time and space more effectively.

Create a mission statement

It's important that you understand your organization's goals — and your own.

Learn ways to create a culture of productivity

Employees work best when they're inherently motivated, instead of micromanaged. But it can be hard to strike the balance between teamwork and independence and to supervise without stifling. A team-building consultant can help.

Cut down on paper

Flipping through files can use up valuable time.

Use software to take care of time-consuming tasks so you can work smarter, not harder.

Why spend valuable time searching for files or cleaning up spyware? Productivity-improving software saves you time by automating routine tasks like these and others.

Make sure everyone — including the boss — gets a vacation. Research shows that workers are more productive when they get time off to recharge their batteries.
Provide employees with opportunities to further their training and education.
Get a handle on email. Set aside blocks of time each day to check and respond to email messages instead of checking all day long.

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