6 Ways to Increase Team Productivity

The workplace can get hectic quickly, especially when a number of people are involved in a company's success. Whether your employees are experiencing personality clashes, role confusion, or uncertainty regarding objectives, bad teamwork can kill a project. Luckily, there are a number of ways to improve employee productivity.

1. Avoid Micromanaging

As much as employees love to be seen and heard, your staff can only thrive if you're trusting. While micromanaging is rarely personal, your employees will take it that way. This can be even worse in a team environment where everyone is witness to the way you're treating each member. By hovering, you're essentially letting your team know how worried you are. Avoid making this mistake and instead allow them to come to you! Clue them in on just how confident you are in each individual and watch team spirits soar.

2. Create an Open Door Policy

People feel better knowing that others care, especially upper management. Your employees will engage better with you and peers in an environment that honors communication. Don't fall into the trap of only offering your valuable time to senior staff. This will just create a greater gap between you and the rest of your staff. Instead, create a time and space where you are available to everyone. Let all your employees know that this time is one set aside for any and all requests. Even if you rarely find someone knocking on your office door, the gesture will be appreciated.

3. Assign Roles and Be Clear

Making sure to clearly designated each employee's role is crucial. Successful teamwork thrives on clear communication, with everyone participating effectively. If clear roles are not assigned from the beginning, people often make up for the miscommunication alone. If you're noticing more than one employee completing a specific task, there's a good chance you may have to clarify roles. If you happen to learn that some employees are doing it all while others have checked out, alleviate the imbalance asap. Resentment can fester, and no one harbors resentment more than an employee who has done everyone else's work.

4. Keep Easy-To-Understand Goals and Objectives

Nothing crushes productivity like confusion. So if you notice your employees getting a little fuzzy on the details of a project, clarify immediately. Have an emergency meeting where you address any potential misunderstandings your employees may have. Even if you find that you're repeating yourself, do it. Sometimes people need a little extra guidance, which is where you come in. In short, when people know exactly what to expect out of an assignment, chances are the project will go more smoothly.

5. Encourage Team Involvement in Decision Making

As the boss, you'll probably have the last say in any major decision making. However, giving your employees the opportunity to offer feedback and personal opinions can greatly benefit the workplace. People enjoy being heard, and this includes your employees. By taking the time to actively engage with your employees will show how much you value critical thinking. Don't fall into the trap of believing you and only you have all the right answers. In most cases, your employees will know nearly or just as much about your business as you do. Take advantage of this.

6. Have a Reward System

This may be the easiest, most appreciated gesture you can make. Everyone loves to be pampered--exploit this. When your employees feel appreciated, you will most definitely notice behavior reflecting it. As soon as you start treating excellent work as the valuable tool it is, the sooner you'll see more productive teams. An excellent way to express your appreciation can be with a corporate chair massage. This can be a great way to raise morale, with the added benefit of being both relaxing and clarifying. After a generous massage, your employees will be refreshed and better equipped for tasks.

In the end, teamwork is crucial to the success of any project but so is your support. By assigning roles with clear objectives, keeping an open office, supporting involvement, and honoring good work, team productivity will be your reward.