Employees time at work is not unlimited. This makes many employers very strict about what their employees can and cannot be doing during this time. It makes sense to set restrictions and rules to try to improve the productivity in your workplace.



Employers can go overboard trying to perfect the productivity in their business and will actually start reducing their employee's motivation, concentration and energy in return, affecting their overall productivity.



There are a few productivity improvements you may be implementing that can go from helping to hurting very easily. Today we are going to break some down to see how productivity can be improved with some simple changes.



Goal Setting

It is very common for employers to set goals for their employees in hopes to motivate them and increase productivity and output. Goal setting in the workplace is very effective when done right. If you have ever set a goal for yourself pertaining to self improvement you know how hard it can be to stick to it long term. The same is to be assumed for your employees, and it is important to take the proper steps to give them motivating goals that are realistic and measurable.



This means you need to create SMART goals for your employees. Every goal you set needs to be specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and time-bound. Our biggest tip for creating goals in the workplace is to make sure the time it takes to achieve the goal is short, so the motivation and gratification from achieving the goal can happen quickly and repeat with each new goal.



The biggest problem with goals in the workplace is they tend to be strung out and take weeks, if not months to reach. While sometimes this tactic works, it can often cause strung out stress and a lack in motivation to achieve the goal. Another problem with goals in the workplace is when they are impossible to achieve. You have to be realistic with the goals you are setting and gradually make them harder and harder as they are completed.



The Importance of Breaks

More and more employers are beginning to shorten the time their employees can use for breaks throughout the day to the legally required minimum. While doing this may make it seem like your employees will spend more time working, the lack of brain breaks can decrease the quality of work and productivity.



Sitting at your desk and looking at screens all day, or repeating the same tasks over and over can take a toll on your energy. When you provide your employees with effective breaks where they have enough time to relax and clear their mind, you will see a better increase in productivity.



A few types of breaks that are important to your employees productivity include: time per hour, or per day, to spend doing personal work while at their desk, lunch breaks long enough to leave the building and occasional vacations.



Be Consistent with How You Measure Employees Productivity

When you are working to improve your employees productivity it is important to make sure you have a method of measurement that is consistent. If you are continually changing the way you measure productivity, you may not be being accurate and you do not have the ability to see the real change week to week or month to month.



Decide what factors you will measure, how often and what your goals are before you start reporting productivity to your employees. Once you start consistently measuring, you can start implementing changes and tracking their effectiveness.



Using scheduling software to help you see and measure productivity, goals and tasks can help substantially in every business. The best way to guarantee you are not negatively affecting your employees productivity is to be open to and listen to their feedback.How do you schedule tasks, goals, and measure productivity in your business?