Employee productivity, also known as workforce productivity, is an assessment of the efficiency of an employee a group or team.
It is also a measure of how much work an employee delivers within a specific time.
James clearly defines productivity as a measurement of the efficiency of an employee completing a task.
He adds that productivity is getting the important things done consistently.
Employee productivity also refers to the economic performance that compares the number of goods and services produced (OUTPUT) to the amount of work (INPUT) used to produce the goods and services.
Employee productivity is important within organisations as it has many potential benefits such as good customer service, healthy work relationships, and motivated employees as well as increased profitability.
Andy Core a workplace expert argues that “Productivity in the workplace is an important aspect of every company and when top management understands this concept, success is just around the corner”.
This is mainly because the success of an organisation relies on the productivity of its employees.
There are many factors that impact on employee productivity which will be discussed below:
- Work environment
A working environment based on an organisations values where employees feel supported, valued and safe breeds positive energy which in turn translates to increased productivity.
An organisational culture which works as system will achieve collaboration among business units thereby increased production as the system functions in unison.
A toxic working environment on the other had restricts employee productivity due to, employee burnout, tense peer relationships, lack of cooperation and fear of victimisation.
- Training and Career Development Opportunities
Investing in employee’s professional development and providing them with relevant training opportunities during their journey in your organisation not only motivates employees but also equips them with skills to better perform their roles.
An untrained employee will probably not perform their roles more efficiently, which can negatively affect productivity due to many errors and omissions.
- Processes
Properly defined internal processes from recruitment, on boarding, performance management among others have a huge impact on employee’s experience.
A positive employee experience results in employees belonging, purpose, achievement, happiness and vigour which all have a positive impact on employee productivity.
The IBM and Globoforce research found that employee experience is positively associated with employee work performance, discretionary effort, and turnover intention.
- Employee wellness
This refers to the physical and mental health of employees. Creating a wellness program and encouraging employees to put their welfare first helps to create a healthy and happy workforce and could boost employee productivity.
- Technology
It has become a fundamental part of the Morden working environment.
Morden technology helps to support employees in their tasks thereby increasing profitability.
Organisations that are slow in adopting the use of latest technologies risk employee burnout, slow production, substandard products and manual processes which will greatly affect employee productivity.
- Leadership
The leadership style of a manager could have a positive or negative impact on the productivity levels of employees.
For instance, the Autocratic leadership style which gives less emphasis on employee welfare and exerting power over employees which often leads to employee dissatisfaction, low level of commitment and disloyalty and decrease productivity.
On the other hand, leadership styles such as transformational and democratic leadership which focus on including and increasing employee participation produce motivated employees who feel valued and work hard to prove their ability.
This leads to greater employee productivity.
Employee productivity plays a large part in ensuring your business success.
As discussed above, there are many factors that influence employee productivity and these should be taken into account as part of the business strategy.
Chiedza Kadare is an OD Practitioner. You can get in touch with her on WhatsApp/call +263 77 283 0986 or Email chiedza.kadare@gmail.com
Paul Nyausaru is an OD Practitioner and leadership coach. For all your OD interventions and leadership development training you can get in touch with him on WhatsApp/call +263774062756 or Email pnyausaru@gmail.com
