How to Raise Worker Productivity

A new report says the UK has experienced a sharp drop in worker productivity, with per hour output 17% below the average.

The report, conducted by the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (ACAS), focused on several key points in terms of raising productivity. We are going to focus on four points that you can absorb and hopefully implement within your own organisation.

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Create Well-Designed Work

According to the report, it is vital that your employees are at the centre of the job-design process, meaning your workers can benefit from improved operation efficiency, better customer care and increased levels of innovation. The two main ingredients of a well-designed job are: discretion and autonomy. What it is saying is that your employees should have some control over the way their workload is approached, this means designing jobs so that they can utilise some of the following: existing skills sets, the accurate tools to conduct their job, “interdependence”, followed by flexibility in terms of work hours (working remotely could also be a factor here), and a good use of their physical space.

“Psychologists have long argued,” the report says “that giving employees discretion about how they organise their work leads to better use of technical skills and tacit knowledge as well as more creativity in problem solving.”

The report speaks directly to businesses suggesting that allowing your employees discretion can also lead to improved job satisfaction, commitment to the organisation and increased productivity.

Hire Skilled Line Managers

This is an important one, and it makes a lot of sense. Line managers play a “critical role” in “specifying task and job requirements”, according to the report. For the researchers, being a skilled line manager is not only about “technical expertise” but also the management of people, or a large collection of people, on a daily basis. Therefore, it will fall to the line manager to carry out 3 tasks the researchers find paramount such as: motivate and lead, act as a translator and handle difficult conversations.

For the report, line managers are the “gatekeepers” of your organisation, not just in regards to policy, but in relation to the well-being and management of your employees. As a manager, you need to value your line managers and “select them carefully, develop and support them.”

Manage Conflict Effectively and Quickly

Conflict, not consensus, it can be argued is the natural order and nowhere more so than in the workplace. The report states that, as a manager, it may be “uncomfortable to accept that conflict exists,” but by ignoring it may only make the issue worse than it has to be.

“Sometimes conflict can be the start of an organisation making change and progress, and it can open the door to innovation.”

Therefore, the report offers a number of tips when dealing with conflict that you, as a manager, can adapt to fit your own organisation. These include: keeping an open mind about things, responding early to conflict, efficient training for your line managers in terms of conflict, having fair procedures, and being creative by “using alternative ways to manage conflict including conflict coaching,” which is becoming increasingly popular according to the report. Whatever your approach may be, ensure you have at least some of these points already implemented.

Create a Strong Employee Voice

Finally, creating a strong employee voice by ensuring your workers have the necessary tools to stay informed and are involved in the decision making process is of paramount importance in terms of increasing productivity. The approach to ensuring the employee voice is heard may vary, but as a manager you should ensure: managers, at every level, are “committed to employees having their say”, union representatives should be factored into the equation, and communications, between the employee and management, is particularly important during this process.

According to the report “employee voice can make a big difference to the bottom line,” as a manager that should be worth noting.

If you would like to learn more about employee training take a look at our 60 seconds Video or Try a Free Demo Today