Boosting productivity in the workplace is not always about giving out rewards and prizes. Considering this tactic can be expensive, team leaders and managers won’t be able to conduct this strategy often. Not only that but doing this only satisfies a particular employee and not everyone.
When planning ways to boost productivity in the workplace, it is important to consider every employee. Team happiness can significantly affect a business’s overall productivity.
When employees feel overworked or stressed, the lower their productivity becomes. Aside from that, there also comes the risk of dissatisfaction and burnout. Thus, there are more effective ways to boost their productivity than pushing employees to work hard to earn a one-time prize or reward.
So, what can team leaders do to boost their team members’ productivity more effectively and efficiently? To give you some ideas, here are some fun ways to boost productivity in the workplace.
Make the workplace light and colorful
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Employees spend most of their time in the office. And, more often than not, traditional office spaces are designed to look professional – white walls, bright overhead lights, and little to no life.
Taking this into consideration, one way to boost productivity and morale in the workplace is to create a more attractive and interesting work environment. A brighter and more lively workspace can make employees feel more comfortable at work.
Instead of having white walls and tall cubicles at the center of your office, try to brighten and lighten up the space by creating a more open floor plan. Paint and decorate your walls with brighter colors that can lighten employees’ moods. You can even add some wall decorations with fun and motivational quotes.
However, be wary of too much clutter. Having a messy workspace can also make employees feel overwhelmed and even distracted. To further engage your team members, ask for their opinions. They surely would have some thoughts on how to make the workplace more fun to be in.
Provide a budget to decorate individually
When it comes to boosting productivity, it is important to understand that not everyone has the same tactics and techniques to keep their selves efficient. To accommodate each employee’s quirks, provide them with a small budget to decorate and personalize their workspace.
You can find employees who want to make their areas more attractive with some decorations, while others lean towards maintaining a clean and organized workspace.
Regardless, give them the freedom to personalize their spaces, making them feel happier and comfortable at work.
Provide a fun break room and game area
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One important productivity hack people should practice is to have several small breaks throughout the workday. Doing this prevents them from feeling overworked and keeps them refreshed enough to stay focused for the succeeding important tasks.
Considering this, one fun way to keep employees motivated in the office is to provide them with a conducive place to take their breaks and relax.
Make a separate area where employees can have some quick fun times, such as a game area with a pool table or some arcade games. You can also dedicate a space with more comfortable seating options such as sofas and bean bags.
Aside from that, provide your employees with some snacks. Fill up the office pantry with a variety of food options that can sustain their energy throughout the day. Most importantly, make break times a culture. Encourage your employees to take their breaks instead of getting stuck in front of their desks for long periods.
Get an office pet
Another way to make your office feel more alive is to bring in someone alive, like a pet. Recent research shows that traditional work offices that brought in a canine companion as part of their efforts to boost company morale effectively reduced employee stress and boosted their productivity as well.
Having a furry companion in the office can increase happiness and encourage more casual conversations between team members. But if having a dog is too much commitment for people in the office, a simple alternative is to get something less maintenance and time-demanding, such as a fish or a cat.
Conduct team-building activities
There is no better productivity hack than having a team that gets along well. Team leaders wouldn’t have problems with collaborative projects or worry about conflict between employees.
Taking this into consideration, one of the most effective and fun ways to boost productivity in the workplace is to foster genuine connections and relationships with team members.
Luckily, there are a lot of ways for team leaders to do this. It can be something as simple as getting dinners together or having a company-wide snack break during a work day. Not only will this satisfy their stomachs, but it can also provide a more casual atmosphere for employees to bond and connect.
Aside from food, team leaders can also conduct fun events such as game nights and company trips that completely take employees away from their desks and put them in a more relaxed situation.
Plan a company outing and take your employees somewhere fun. You can take them to the beach, up the mountains camping, or even for a fun day at Disneyland. The goal is for your employees to have more experiences and build memories out of the office’s four walls.
Celebrate wins, big or small
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One of the biggest mistakes team leaders can make is failing to acknowledge their team members’ efforts. And one of the most effective ways to increase employee happiness is to make them feel valued continuously. However, leaders cannot do this by only acknowledging and rewarding those who have achieved big goals or finished important tasks with flying colors.
You must be able to acknowledge your employees’ good doings to keep them happy, satisfied, dedicated, and motivated to work. Start by thanking the team as a whole for work well done. Mention things that did right and encourage them to continue their efforts.
Then, you can spend your time looking into individual performances. You don’t need to find something extravagant from your employees. Even mentioning something as simple as never being late and passing quality outputs on time can lift employees’ spirits.
The bottom line is that you want to show your employees that you are seeing their progress and that you are there with them to celebrate their wins, whether big or small.
Bottomline
When it comes to boosting employee productivity, it is not always ideal to focus on rewards and prizes. While it’s okay to offer some sort of bonus to your employees from time to time, this is not the most effective and sustainable way to keep your employees motivated, productive, and happy.
So what else can team leaders do? There are a lot of ways to make employees feel happy and content in the workplace. Finding long-term strategies to boost employee productivity will also be more effective and cost-efficient for businesses.
One way to examine employee productivity is to see their current work situations. Are they dealing with heavy workloads? Are they forced to stay past work hours to finish their tasks?
Creating and ensuring a healthy and positive work environment is one of the easiest ways to keep employees happy, more than a once-in-a-year award or bonus.
In relation to this, find ways to make working fun for your employees. Make your office look enticing and conducive for working. Provide dedicated spaces for your employees to relax and feel comfortable while they do so.
Also, invest in building quality relationships with your team members. Ensure that each employee feels that they are a valued member of the company. Spend some time to learn about your employees and highlight their contributions as often as you can
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