In the latest downturn, productivity actually fell in the UK, and by more than employment. British recessions ain't what they used to be.
There are numerous theories about what's going on with productivity on the macro level but most of us are more interested in the micro level: what can we do to make our company, division or team operate more productively? In my own experience, productivity comes down to three elements: people, technology, and time.
People
Given that most management gurus take several books to expound their views on boosting productivity, it's hard to deal with this in a couple of paragraphs.
Nevertheless, a few simple management rules can help:
- Notice good work.
- Never be too busy or bootstrapped to invest in mentoring and training.
- Cross-train. If people understand how others in the company work, they make their own processes fit better with those of other teams, boosting efficiency.
- Try to make the workplace sociable and supportive.
- Give workers the flexibility to work their way. For most people, this means the choice to work at hours and places that fit in with needs like childcare.
The results can be significant. Not only do businesses with top-quartile employee engagement have 21% higher productivity compared with those with lower-quartile employee engagement, they also have 37% lower absenteeism.
Technology
Tablets and smartphones boost productivity because staff can work wherever they are. A three-day business trip no longer means three days of being disconnected from colleagues or data.
But employers must be careful not to abuse the 24/7 communication possibilities of technology, otherwise they end up with stressed, resentful staff. Nor should they think that technology has replaced the good old-fashioned idea of people needing a conducive place to work. Employees' smartphones or tablets may work at home or in cafes, but the people themselves may struggle.
So, as well as the right tech devices and connectivity, employees who work remotely or flexibly need access to professional workspaces, such as business centres, where they can make best use of that technology.
Time
A recent article in the Economist advocated cutting back on email, meetings and micromanaging, saying that "Creative people's most important resource is their time".
While persuasive, it leaves out one major destroyer of time: commuting. If you let people do their jobs closer to home, you give them more space for both work and leisure. It's better for work-life balance and the environment too, making work more sustainable.
Economists will no doubt continue to produce graphs about output and worker productivity, but they'd do well to look up from their screens and pay attention to people too. Get the practical details right for the people who work for you and they'll produce better results.g
Regus is the world's largest provider of flexible workspaces, with business centres across 100 countries.
