HR Strategies for Promoting Team Productivity

The Unfortunate Result: Employees concentrate on generating high input (spending more time on tasks and using more resources) instead of producing more output (meeting goals and generating revenue).

To bridge the productivity gap, many managers look deeper into individual productivity, worrying about each member’s performance issues and micromanaging their tasks.

But what if the solution isn’t making your employees do better? What if it’s equipping them with what they need to achieve optimal productivity?

Read More: What is Productivity Paranoia & How Is It Hurting Your Business?

HR Tips on How to Improve Employee Productivity

As a business leader, you may already have a productivity system that works for you. You probably know the best way to systematically plan, efficiently execute, and effectively streamline every task—and that’s awesome!

But your ultimate challenge as a leader isn’t dealing with your own workload; it’s helping your entire team manage theirs. Here are five things you and your human resources (HR) department can do to increase employee productivity:

Establish Clear Goals and Expectations

According to The Ultimate Guide to Onboarding Employees, an employee with high role clarity knows what is expected of them. They understand how their roles and their colleagues’ roles align with the tasks they must accomplish to meet the organization’s goals.

You can start by writing straightforward, accurate job descriptions that give applicants and employees crucial information. The New South Wales government recommends posting a job description that answers the following questions:

• What is expected of them?
• What types of tasks will they handle?
• What are their specific objectives?
• How will their output impact the larger goals of the organization?
• How will their work be evaluated and measured?
• Where does their role sit in the organization?

Establishing clear goals and expectations helps reduce ambiguity and prevent misunderstandings that arise when employees are unsure about their responsibilities. It also allows you to evaluate your members’ performance better, provide constructive feedback, and ultimately lead them toward growth and productivity.

Read More: How To Write The Perfect Job Description

Create a Conducive Work Environment

Working in a welcoming, inclusive, and supportive environment boosts your employees’ morale and encourages them to perform at their very best.

If you want your team to be more productive, cultivate a workplace culture where they feel respected, valued, understood, and safe. How your company handles sensitive issues such as office conflicts, inclusivity, religious accommodations, and employee rights often indicates whether or not you have a conducive work environment.

According to job posting and hiring platform Indeed, there are seven characteristics of a positive and conducive work environment:

• Calm atmosphere with minimal distractions
• Open and honest communication between members of the organization
• Respect, empathy, and understanding among colleagues
• Positive reinforcement for good work
• Opportunities to grow your skills and strengths
• Positive thinking and optimistic outlook
• A healthy balance between personal and professional life

Read More: The Role of HR in Building a Positive Company Culture

Give Them the Tools They Need to Succeed

According to training and consulting firm ACHIEVE, every system is designed perfectly to achieve the outcomes it achieves. So, if your team isn’t producing the expected outcomes, you may want to look at your system and ask, “Is my team properly equipped to hit the goals I’ve set for them?”

One way you can significantly improve employee productivity is by giving them the tools they need to succeed. When your team has access to the right technology, training, and support, they can perform their tasks better, faster, and more confidently. 

Whether that means investing in a project management tool, planning out a robust onboarding process, or training them to leverage the generative AI in their tasks, managers can empower their teams to work at full potential, resulting in improved productivity, higher job satisfaction, and a stronger commitment to the company's success.

Read More: How to Prepare Your Team for Generative AI in the Workplace

Give Them a Break

One of the biggest enemies of productivity and efficiency is employee burnout, which is why it’s crucial that you provide your team with adequate breaks. Unfortunately, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that only 1.7% of the U.S. workforce takes a vacation. Even though workers have access to paid time-offs, very few use them.

As a company leader, your responsibility doesn’t stop at providing paid time-offs to your employees; you also need to encourage them to take breaks so they can recharge, destress, and refocus.

You can start by asking HR if your team members are taking time off work. If they’re not, look into possible reasons why. Do your employees feel like going on vacation makes them look expendable? Are they worried about returning to a ton of work if they take a week off?

Once you understand what’s keeping your team from taking breaks, you can work closely with your HR team to devise a plan to address them.

When you advocate for your team members’ time off, you show them that you value their physical and mental well-being. By getting the time, space, and confidence to step away from their tasks, they can return to work with renewed vigor and increased productivity.

Read More: How to Manage Time-Off Requests Like a (Good) Boss 

Lead by Example

Employees mirror their leaders’ behavior. If you want to build a team that practices excellent time and workload management, you must first show them what that looks like. You need to walk the talk.

Leading by example fosters trust and respect between management and employees, creating a culture of accountability and responsibility. By modeling the positive behavior you want to see in your team, you can inspire employees to perform their best and align their efforts with the company’s mission and vision. 

Here are seven ways company executives and managers can lead by example, according to human transformation platform BetterUp:

• Sharpen your leadership skills
• Address conflict calmly and constructively
• Communicate kindly
• Bounce back after failure
• Practice ethical leadership
• Celebrate diversity
• Take care of yourself

Read More: 5 Key Traits of a Good Manager (According to the People They Manage)

Increase Employee Productivity Sustainably with Nexus HR

Contrary to popular belief, team productivity falls on the shoulders of company leaders, not the team members themselves. As a manager, you have the influence and authority to make a difference in how your employees work—their efficiency, quality, and productivity.

You can’t do it alone, though. Every successful team-building initiative requires meticulous data-gathering, planning, execution, and evaluation. Our advice? Leverage the experience and expertise of your HR department.

If you don’t have an HR team big enough to take on these responsibilities (or if you don’t have one at all), Nexus HR is here to help!

As a full-service human resource solutions provider, our team of HR specialists is ready to give you the support you need to boost team performance, enhance employee engagement, and grow your business.