Nevada Retirement Planners

Times are tough for everyone these days people and businesses alike. When your employees are worried about paying their bills, or about keeping their jobs in a climate of uncertainty, then its perfectly understandable if productivity levels drop.

The result of a drop in productivity is a drop in profit. This direct impact on your bottom line albeit intangible has to be headed off, and innovative businesses around the world are finding ways of boosting productivity without necessarily investing in cash rewards. Here are a few brilliant examples of what organisations are doing to improve morale, boost productivity and ultimately, keep their businesses driving value during a downturn.

Results Only Work Environments

Some managers recoil in horror at the thought of not being able to monitor exactly what their employees are doing, but take a step back and consider the benefits of a results only environment.

Giving employees trust the trust to come in to work, and leave work, whenever they please is a huge step to take. In fact, in many workplaces, it simply isnt possible, especially when customer-facing. However, for many employees, the nine to five simply doesnt apply. The modern workplace needs more flexibility, and ROWE, as it is called, could be an option.

Employees, in a Results Only Work Environment, can work the hours they like, do what they want at work, so long as they get results. What this requires, beyond trust, is regular SMART objective monitoring. Managers have to clearly define what the boundaries are, what the goals are, and what results are expected.

The concept of ROWE comes from Best Buy in Minneapolis, where employees are trusted to produce results. They can turn up at work when they like, leave when they please perhaps, according to this report take in a movie in the middle of the working day. Output and job satisfaction and therefore employee engagement are improving, meaning that employers who take proactive measures are not necessarily investing financially, but they are having a positive impact on the bottom line through innovative measures.

Managers that really listen

Engagement and productivity are often driven through line managers. A poor line manager will eventually reveal himself or herself through results. A good line manager will know his employees inside out, and the Daily Five Minutes is fast becoming a workplace trend with multiple benefits.

Every day, managers have to spend at least five minutes with at least one employee. This off-agenda time is spent listening listening to what the employee has to say about whatever is on their mind. This makes managers more approachable, and equally gives managers greater background on what makes their people tick. It gives managers the opportunity to break down barriers and employees the chance to either let off steam or simply get themselves heard.

Give people a reason to thrive

Ive worked in organisations where people were told they should be happy just to have a job. That doesnt work, and as if to prove it, there was a 140% turnover of staff in just 12 months. The employer should be happy to have the employee, and should let them know.

Giving people a reason to thrive is good management, and again, this stems from line managers stepping back from micro-management and letting top performers become emotionally invested in the results side of the business.

Emotional investment and accountability are reasons to thrive. Employees who feel neither with quickly disengage with the business and either leave or worse quit stay, spreading dissatisfaction around the team.

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Line managers are at the heart of all productivity issues, and its the responsibility of human resources professionals to push the agenda. They need to train line managers in management skills, and promote interpersonal development. They need to give line managers the flexibility to trust their employees and foster a results-based environment.

Tags: ceridian, hr, human resources, payroll