How To Remove Workplace Productivity Barriers And Have Happy Employees

By ThePeakPerformer.Africa
December 18, 2022
4:20 am
1 Comments

More often than employers would like to admit, workplace productivity barriers have proved to be a major reason several companies have lost some of their most talented employees.

Appearing in many ways and forms, these organizational barriers have hindered the productivity rate of many workers, making them dissatisfied with their job. Several “once upon a time” competent employees have become unhappy with their work and unable to efficiently fulfill their job responsibilities. Ultimately, this has negatively affected their morale and lowered their performance at work.

If you are looking for ways to boost your morale or that of your employees or teammates, identifying possible barriers to productivity is a good place to start.

This article discusses five top barriers to productivity that employees face at work and how you can solve them.

5 Biggest Workplace Productivity Barriers And How To Solve Them

1. Ineffective leadership

Ineffective leadership is first on the list of barriers to productivity at work because followers are influenced by their leaders. [Tweet that]

As such, if a company has bad leadership with a lazy and lackadaisical attitude to work, the followers will most likely follow suit. Employees will not be motivated to work harder or be more productive at their tasks, since their managers do not seem to care about the quality of work done.

What to do

When encouraging productivity among employees, leaders need to show more than tell. They should show they can take what they are dishing out to their employees. 

For example, if you expect your employees to provide feedback on completed projects, you should do the same. If you expect them to have cordial working relationships with each other, be accessible and relate well with them. If you want your subordinates to resume work earlier, come to work early too.

By showing rather than simply telling, you can easily influence them and motivate them to do better at their work or given tasks.

2. Bad working conditions

The work environment of a company is a key factor in determining how productive an employee will be. It can encourage or discourage an employee from coming to the office. It can also motivate a worker to work just a little bit past their working hours or encourage them to recommend the company to friends and family.

The work environment is directly connected to workload, working hours, rest periods, and other factors that determine the degree of mental and physical pressure or load that an employee bears in their workplace. All of these factors come together to define an organization’s working conditions.

If working conditions are poor, for instance, if the organization is situated in a noisy place or an area that is too hot, or if it operates a tight schedule that places an excessive workload on its employees, such conditions may hinder the productivity levels of the workers, thus producing stressed and unhappy employees.

What to do

Build and foster an atmosphere that encourages people to be the best versions of themselves at work.

This could mean a total renovation of the office, installation of better lighting, or implementation of a more flexible work schedule that allows employees to relax and be more creative with assigned tasks.

It could also mean encouraging a more interactive workspace where employees enjoy relating with one another. 

3. Poor communication

Communication is key to the survival and growth of a business. When done poorly, it is a major hindrance to workplace productivity.

Poor workplace communication takes various forms. It could happen when a vital message or piece of information is passed wrongly or received in error. It could also mean that a receiver forgets to pass the message on to relevant quarters.

Bad communication affects productivity rates and causes employees to make avoidable mistakes while completing assigned tasks. Worse, it can start a chain of events that will jeopardize the implementation of an entire business process or activity, resulting in a huge loss for the company.

What to do

Learn the principles of good communication and practice openly communicating with the staff. Promote a work atmosphere that encourages workers to give feedback and ask questions when they need clarity.

4. Poor employee appreciation culture

Everyone loves a pat on the back, especially when they work hard.

We all crave recognition and love to be appreciated when we do exceptional work or go out of our way to perform assigned tasks. However, when this does not happen, we may feel disappointed and discouraged from putting in our best effort next time.

This is why a company that has a bad employee appreciation culture will find it difficult to stimulate productivity. 

By failing to properly appreciate talent and competence when necessary, an organization indicates that it does not value the work or contribution of its employees. 

This can result in workers feeling undervalued and underappreciated. Such feelings may end up demoralizing and discouraging them from maintaining high productivity levels at work. 

Worse, a poor employee appreciation culture can ultimately cause top talents in an organization to lose interest in their work and leave the company for another that knows how to appreciate their efforts.

What to do

Promote a culture that appreciates employees for a job well done.

This does not have to be on a grand scale. It can be as small as sending appreciation emails, giving little incentives to well-performing workers, or giving hard-working employees time off occasionally.

All in all, it is essential not to be quick to point out the faults and little flaws of workers or team members. Rather, seek out opportunities to acknowledge their efforts or a job well done.

5. Poor feedback culture

According to a study by ClearCompany, 92% of employees want feedback more than once a year. This highlights how feedback is vital in encouraging workplace productivity and the personal growth of employees.

Poor feedback culture hinders proper communication, necessary correction, or clarification. It frequently leads to misunderstandings and incorrect conclusions.

A company with a poor feedback culture may breed employees who feel unimportant, unheard, and ignored.

Those employees may secretly struggle with certain organizational factors that hinder their productivity at work. However, the absence of a proper means of communication will prevent them from speaking out. 

Ultimately, they may become disengaged, spiraling down a road of unhappiness and dissatisfaction with their work.

What to do

Foster a listening culture that provides workers with a voice and expands their perspectives about the business and themselves.

Properly done, such a culture will also improve the relationship between managers and employees as well as between coworkers, creating a harmonious workplace.

One effective way to build a listening culture at work is by taking employee surveys, having periodic feedback meetings, providing a platform where employees can post their grievances, and interacting personally with the workers.

Closing Thoughts

The productivity level of employees in an organization is key to company growth and expansion. By identifying and removing factors that dampen workers’ morale and hamper their productivity, companies can increase the levels of engagement and job satisfaction, resulting in workers who consistently deliver fantastic results for themselves and the company.

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