April 12, 2022
Even in a world where we increasingly rely on AI and other technologies for business, employees are still a vital part of many companies. Employees keep the company running and make sure that customers are happy and willing to return. However, unlike AI and technology, human employees have wants and needs that can impact their joy and their job performance.
So, how can you balance these needs with the needs of your company?
One common misconception is that you need to make sure people work hard all the time and focus on productivity over morale. But this can be a flawed way to manage your employees.
If people aren’t happy in their job, they will be less productive and motivated. They might do worse work and, at the end of the day, they might even leave for greener pastures. The fact is that you don’t need to sacrifice morale for productivity or vice versa.
Most people actually like to be productive. Even if they don’t enjoy the work itself, they might enjoy the satisfaction of a job well done, and this along with other incentives, encourages people to work more productively.
Here are a few tips to help you create a productive team that works well together.
The first place where things can go right, or wrong, is the hiring process itself. When you hire someone, you need to factor in more than just their skills and qualifications, especially if they are making up part of a team. You need to think of the team as a whole.
You don’t want a team full of people who all have identical skills and a complete inability to work well together. They might be geniuses, but they won’t be productive or happy.
Instead, find a balance of complimentary skills that are needed for the projects you typically take on. People work best in specific roles, as this allows them to specialise and you get the best out of each employee.
Most importantly, you should look at what are sometimes called “soft skills”. These skills are actually vital for good business, because they allow people to get on well with each other and to work in a more efficient way. Soft skills might include communication and management skills, organisational skills, and other skills that aren’t necessarily well defined.
You can also implement a probationary period to allow new hires to work with your existing team for a while. If it works out, you can hire them properly, but if not, you’re able to find someone new without having to break a contract.
Once you have employees on your team, you need to make sure that they feel as though they can approach you if they have problems or concerns. This is better for them and for the company. Different people have different points of view, which can provide important insights to help you improve productivity.
Even better, people want to be listened to. This is especially important if a concern is interfering with their morale or their ability to work well. This might be a problem with current tools and equipment, as if they aren’t fit for the job, an employee who uses it every day will be the first to know. It could also be an interpersonal problem which, if left unchecked, could end up being a more serious issue than just a disagreement or inappropriate behaviour.
As well as making it easier for employees to broach these subjects and suggestions, you should also be appreciative of the work they do well.
Sometimes this is as simple as thanking people for a job well done and making sure they have credit. Or it could result in considering someone for a raise or a promotion as a reward and an incentive to continue working hard. If people don’t feel appreciated, they may well look for other work.
One of the benefits of using AI is that it doesn’t need to take breaks, but can work at peak efficiency all the time. Of course, people aren’t like this. They can do a lot of things that AI can’t, but we need to take breaks and rest. We also have responsibilities outside of work, and it’s important to think about your employee’s personal schedules as well as their work schedules.
One thing an AI can do is to help you to schedule your employees. With AI scheduling, you can add different parameters that suit your employees needs, such as the need to pick up a child from work or an inability to work a certain day of the week.
This allows you to keep things as fair as possible. You can also use the same system when booking vacations or other days off.
A surprising way to improve productivity is to allow and encourage employees to take regular breaks throughout the day. We don’t work efficiently when we just work flat-out for hours at a time, because we usually need to rest our bodies and minds.
So make sure your employees take breaks and give them some leeway throughout the day. If they want to spend fifteen minutes playing solitaire online, for example, this doesn’t mean they’re not working hard, but it does mean they’re keeping their minds engaged and active.
Speaking of catering for the needs of your employees, sometimes you will need to be more flexible with your schedule. Parents might need to take time off to look after their ill children, for example, or people might be unwell themselves.
Even if you prefer in-office working, a remote working arrangement can be a great boon to these employees and your company. They can still work, but they don’t risk spreading any illnesses and, if they need to be home to look after their family, they can do both.
This means you lose less productivity, and your employees will appreciate the flexibility.
