10 Sep Upgrade Your Office: 4 Hacks for Increasing the Productivity of Your Employees
Working in a healthy and pleasant environment is the essence of a successful business, which is why you need to upgrade your office and be one step ahead of your competitors. Highly motivated employees are the key factor of any successful company, and they should be always encouraged to express their ideas. Encouraging creativity will not only motivate them, but you will also create a strong trustworthy bond that can result in high levels of productivity.
1. Up-to-date technology
Having your employees work on old computers or using outdated software won’t save any of the company’s money. In fact, it can seriously decrease productivity and waste a lot of people’s time and energy. One thing that can make work easier for both the company and its employees is the use of CRM (Customer Relation Management) software. This software helps with organizing data, syncing emails with other clients’ contacts and analyzing customer interactions.
CRM will significantly improve the efficiency with which you conduct business, and give you a great overview of your customers needs. Most of the CRM platforms offer a 30 day trial version, so if you are not satisfied you may look for another one, obligation-free.
One of the best ways to organize your file storage is by using one of the file hosting services which will make your data easily accessible from anywhere in the world. If you have remote offices, you can allow them to access the corporate network using a VPN connection, which will improve the communication and cooperation between different branches of your company.
2. Whiteboards – share the ideas
Utilizing a whiteboard during meetings can encourage your employees to be more creative and give birth to some fresh ideas. They will love to see their thoughts being considered and valued, which will make brainstorming more efficient. Another use of the whiteboard is writing a schedule or weekly tasks, so that employees can make sure they have done everything on the list. Of course, CRM and other software include personal planners, but sometimes it may easily be forgotten on a busy day. Whiteboards allow you to have the lists of tasks on display, so that it will serve as an additional visual reminder of upcoming deadlines and important projects.
3. Leisure room – is it really a good idea?
How to increase productivity? In the world of entrepreneurship this is the million dollar question. First of all, can a person be highly productive every single minute during working hours? Probably not, especially if your employees are stuck in cubicles for eight hours, trying to meet another deadline. This may put them under pressure and eventually cause some productivity issues.
Giving them the opportunity to rest or play games in a room specially designed for this purpose, is a very good idea.
They can have fun playing darts, foosball, snooker or even a video game, or they can simply rest on lazy bags or couches during a break. However, this brings up some questions – how long should your employees stay in this room, and will they be distracted when they work? Bear in mind that they just need a break, and they don’t want to risk losing their job by spending all day playing around. Instead of secretly watching YouTube videos and pretending they are doing some work, they can actually take a real break and recharge their energy for an upcoming project or the next big deal that needs to be closed.
4. Team building
This builds a strong connection between colleagues and improves communication among them, which in turn improves overall efficiency and the quality of their work. Very often, there is a huge gap between employees and the management. A great way to overcome this barrier is through team building. It will allow the employees to see management as their colleagues, not only as their bosses, and it will increase team productivity as well as motivation.
Outdated technology can seriously hurt your business, as it limits you in many aspects and prevents you from conducting business efficiently. Utilizing up-to-date technology will allow your company to reach its goals, and it will provide high quality service. Having a friendly working environment, where stress is avoided as much as possible, will make Mondays a lot more bearable for everyone involved.
