Ever wondered what keeps your employees happy at work? Is it the freedom to go creative? Or the rewards you give then for going that extra mile? No wonder, employers often complain that their best employees are constantly looking for better opportunities. It is very important to know what’s killing the morale of your employees and hindering their productivity, if you want them to stay back and boost the bottom-line of your business.
5 Things That Kill Employee Productivity
The following 5 practices are the worst workforce engagement offenders and you must get rid of them if you want your top performers to hang on:
Micromanaging Top Performers
Only an ineffective leader will make the mistake of micromanaging high performers and ignoring their expertise altogether. Micromanaging demoralizes them and keeps them from giving their best, forcing them to walk out of the door.
Criticism in Public
A good manager always appreciates in public and counsels in private. Criticizing subordinates in the presence of their co-workers attracts a lot of unnecessary attention. This also induces fear and anxiety and demotivates employees from bringing their best to work.
Lack of Rewards and Recognition
Everyone likes kudos, especially top performers who give their all. So, if you are withholding praise and not recognizing dedicated employees, it is most likely to erode their loyalty and commitment towards their job.
Pinpointing Fingers
When something goes wrong, people often play the blame game instead of finding a solution. When managers don’t admit their faults and don’t accept responsibility for the mistakes that are made under their leadership, they create an environment of distrust and cause employee disengagement.
Repeated Warnings of Firing
Some managers resort to frequent firing threats to negatively reinforce work performance. This is a short-sighted way of pushing people to perform. Those who feel disposable will soon start searching for a job where they feel respected and valued.
Leaders come in different forms – the tyrant, the disorganized, the micromanager, and the absentminded. But it is the effective leader who sets his workforce up for success. So, if you don’t want disengaged employees to drag down your profits, use these 5 strategies to promote a culture of engagement
5 Tips to Boost Employee Productivity
Promote a Culture of Autonomy and Innovation
Room for creativity and innovation are just as important as business goals and work guidelines. Limiting creative expression is the easiest way to kill an employee’s productivity. So, give employees autonomy over their projects but maintain timelines.
Conduct an Employee Engagement Survey
If you want to identify the roadblocks impeding employee productivity, you can consider using an employee satisfaction survey. Online survey tools can be easily customized to extract valuable information regarding employee’s health, intrinsic motivation, job satisfaction and engagement levels. These surveys are quick, conversational, engaging and effective at uncovering bottlenecks hindering employee productivity.
Equip Your Employees with the Right Tools and Techniques
When tools, techniques, and technologies are outdated, they adversely impact productivity levels and create frustration among employees. So if you’ve managed to bring the best-of-breed onboard, make sure they stay back and continue to be productive by updating your technology and tactics with time.
Invest in Employee Training
Training plays a vital role in ensuring employee productivity. It gives employers the opportunity to mold new hires and improve the skills of existing employees. Proper and timely training not only leads to increased work efficiency but also boosts productivity levels and delivers better results.
Incentivize Outstanding Performance with Attractive Perks
Tech giants like Facebook and Google also know the importance of job satisfaction and so they are renowned for their generous perks like nap pods, massage rooms, complimentary gym memberships and haircuts. But, you don’t have to spend a fortune to foster employee engagement. Employers can enrich the lives of their employees by leveraging the right tools and resources that facilitate optimal efficiency and get quality work done!
Workforce engagement is the key to increased productivity and profits so, show that you care, put some thought into your incentives, schedule training sessions periodically, and implement a productivity plan. But before you do all of this, gain accurate insights with workforce engagement surveys because only what gets measured, gets managed.
Aisha Gujral 
UPLARN 
