Company wide productivity levels can dip from time to time – we all know that. Sometimes it’s a slow part of the year, sometimes the crunch of the market has had us up all night; there’s a lot to cope with in the modern working world. The modern worker goes above and beyond to keep up!
However, a lot of companies notice a seemingly permanent decline in their productivity once they reach a certain level of success. Indeed, once you’ve hit “the big leagues”, it’s unclear where else you’re supposed to go. This lack of direction can cause you and your team to stagnate.
Looking into this issue from the ground up is key to solving it. What’s causing a lull on your company floor? It could be a variety of things holding you back. Changing and rearranging is the best way to move forward and achieve something more.
A Lack of Team Collaboration
Do your team talk to each other? Do you notice there’s always a social buzz going on when you’re walking through the office? Is it easy for people to take breaks together? These are signs you need to pick up on. If you’re noticing a lack of them, there could be a serious lack of collaboration within your workspace.
This can affect your company’s potential productivity the most. When your team doesn’t get along, it’s going to be hard to encourage them to work together. They’re not going to take initiative without you stepping in and delivering proper delegation.
There could also be a troublemaker in the mix that’s running collaboration for everyone else. Be sure to look out for the telltale signs of this; have informal chats with your employees one on one to see if they’re happy in their position, and make sure they know that if they need to complain, your door is open.
A Poor Layout
No matter the kind of work you do, the products you make, or the machines you’re required to use, a poor layout will slow things down. It makes the working day harder and more awkward to get through, and that’s going to waste an employee’s energy before they’ve even gotten started.
But how can you change the layout without bringing everything to a halt once again? The more time you spend rearranging the layout of your office or production line, the more expensive downtime you’re going to go through.
That’s why you should start using simulation models to cut out the guesswork. If you’re interested, be sure to check out https://mosimtec.com/digital-twins-companies/ to find out more about simulating the day to day. Through doing so, you might just come up with traffic flow gold.
An Issue of Micromanagement
Do you find it hard to let your team get on with things? Maybe you like to know what’s going on at all times? This can be a slippery slope into micromanagement. If you’ve hired someone to do a job, and you’re happy with their qualifications, there’s little need to check in multiple times a day to see how they’re progressing.
Indeed, interruptions can be one of the worst factors for company floor productivity. If someone has to repeatedly put their task down to answer questions or report back, they’re not going to have enough time and energy to fully wrap up on the project.
Remember, you’re a part of the team, even when you’re at the head. If you’re the one holding the rest back, it’s best to take a step back and examine your behavior.
Non Flexible Working Schedules
The regular old 9 to 5 isn’t suitable for everyone. If you understand this, you’re going to have a fix on productivity that very few other companies will. Being inflexible, on the other hand, can be a productivity killer.
Why? When you’re inflexible, your team is going to be absent more often. They’re going to come in late, they’re going to need more sick days, and you’re going to lose the valuable manpower you rely on. Your team may even come to distrust you and be looking for a new job sooner rather than later.
When you’re flexible, these issues become a thing of the past. Of course, people are always going to get ill and need time to themself – by law they’re allowed this.
However, when you allow for flexible working schedules, they’re going to have schedules they can keep to no matter what. Your team is going to clock in on a regular basis simply because they can work outside of the typical 9 to 5.
No HR Department
Your HR department is one of the best, time tested ways to connect with your employees. Whenever there’s a dispute, HR can step in to smooth things over. They’re also the department that allows you to keep up with employment law and the current best working trends, and they enable you to be creative in your hiring processes.
However, with no HR department in place, you won’t ever have a mediator at hand. Without a mediator, those workplace disputes over collaboration and having a safe space to complain about conduct won’t ever be resolved. You need someone who is impartial to the way the team rubs along, and is OK to let you know when something needs to change.
If you don’t have a HR person right now, get the hiring process under way. The sooner the better; you never know when a serious problem is going to arise.
Company Floor Productivity Often Lacks Stability
It’s true; productivity flows and fluxes naturally. It’s not something you can control simply through the use of KPIs and meeting monthly goals, despite how useful they can be as guiding tools.
As such, there needs to be more factors involved in your team’s motivation, which is what the points above can help you address. The better you understand what’s holding them back, even down to the minute details, the better their work is going to be.
