8 Common Things That Kill Productivity At Workplaces

Employee productivity is essential for achieving project targets and business success. Though popular management skills help team leaders and managers get the best output from their teams, many aren't as effective in improving overall productivity. Though there are a plethora of productivity hacks available on the internet, many of them are not practical or suitable for every workplace. As every workplace is different, team leaders and decision-makers must assess their processes and discover inconsistencies hindering their productivity.

Many things can affect employee productivity. Most of them exist at personal levels, while others are due to a lack of effective leadership and tools that can improve productivity. If the decision-makers can successfully identify these causes, they can improve their processes and introduce new tools and methodologies to help employees work more efficiently without any hassles. Take a look at these eight things that kill productivity at workplaces.

1. Workplace politics

The first thing that can kill productivity at workplaces is workplace politics. When employees engage in various political activities as a way to climb the corporate ladder, this can be detrimental to team performance and overall productivity. If employees indulge in workplace politics, they will never be able to complete tasks and hit project targets on time. It can also cause disruptions within the workplace environment, which will hurt productivity.

Workplace politics and rumours can also affect team morale. If one employee is getting paid more than another employee doing the same work, it can discourage the team and cause misunderstandings in the group. It can severely hamper team morale and decrease productivity.

2. Translating team goals into individual goals

To achieve personal goals, employees must take into account their co-workers' success. Too many individuals in a company focus on objectives that are not part of the overall project goal. This means that too many group members have different priorities and timelines for project completion. When they lose the right to the bigger picture, they spend time fulfilling their personal goals rather than contributing to team goals. It severely affects the project timelines as well as productivity.

3. Lack of process automation

Every company involves day-to-day processes that need to be performed regularly. Most of these processes are identical and time-consuming. On top of that, these recurring processes can unnecessarily utilise resources that can be used for other vital functions. If these recurring processes are automated, it can save substantial time and resources.

Human resources are one of the crucial departments that manage the most processes in a company, from leave management, attendance, and payroll to company compliances. Countless processes take time and affect productivity. For example, manually assessing employees' attendance, leaves, and payroll would incur a lot of time and resources. Therefore most HR heads prefer using cloud-based HR management systems. These automated systems help the HR team to automate and optimise recurring processes like leave applications, attendance regularisation, salaries etc. That way, the team can save time and dedicate it to improving employee management and engagement.

4. Unnecessary meetings

Meetings are essential to discuss project roadblocks and find the best solutions through brainstorming. Unfortunately, too many meetings take a lot of time and hamper productivity. To avoid that from happening, the team leaders can set meetings for only essential discussions. It is also important to have a meeting agenda prepared and circulated among the attendees. That way, the attendees can prepare for the meeting and be more engaged in the meeting. It's also best to keep the meetings on point and short in duration.

5. Unmotivated employees

The lack of encouragement and motivation is one of the major reasons behind decreased productivity. Employees are more likely to procrastinate and delay their work and responsibilities when they are not motivated. It also leads to project delays and causes losses to the company and client dissatisfaction. Thankfully companies can help employees feel motivated in different ways. Rewarding employees with incentives and gifts for their achievements can help to motivate them and create healthy competition. The company can also organise team outings and sessions with motivational speakers to help them deal with the lack of willpower and increase their productivity to get back on track.

6. Lack of tech tools and productivity tools

Every company must adapt to the change and embrace technology to keep up with the market shift. Companies that refuse to change are often left behind in the competition and eventually shut down. Therefore companies must invest in technology, tools and methodologies that can help improve productivity and encourage teams.

Unlike public social media, which may not have the essence of a close-knitted community, workplace social media can be an effective way to socialise and share ideas with your coworkers. A social platform for employees can help them share their ideas, thoughts and essential updates among the team. It can be an effective way to increase productivity through daily tips, videos and messages that keep employees engaged and motivated.

7. Lack of shared vision, purpose and goals

Employees who work in different departments and teams often lack a common vision, purpose and goals. This can lead to conflicts among team members that might further lead to project roadblocks. The company must improve its collaborations and team building to avoid that from happening and bring everyone on the same page. Employees can be encouraged to participate in team-building activities to increase trust, teamwork and reliability. It can also help team members to improve their communication and collaboration. That way, they can be enabled and encouraged to work on a shared goal or purpose.

8. Lack of feedback & acknowledgement

The major task of managers is to maintain a positive team culture where all the employees are highly engaged in getting productive work done efficiently. In other words, managers need to spot what can kill workplace productivity and take measures to correct it before it affects the business adversely. If something is not working, the manager must provide constructive feedback and the necessary tips and tools to improve the outcomes. Always remember that bad bosses criticise and humiliate, while good bosses help identify mistakes and provide constructive feedback, tools and techniques to improve the results. That way, employees feel more valued and are motivated to give their best.

Workplace productivity can be an elixir to boost performance and achieve business goals. Companies that avoid the above mentioned things can substantially improve their productivity and build a highly functioning team that stays productive and works collaboratively towards achieving shared goals.

Don't let repetitive HR processes kill your office productivity. Automate and optimise payroll processes, leave management, employee attendance, engagement and company companies to ensure business success and optimum productivity. Talk with Teamnest's process automation Expert @ +91 913-786-6322 or email at sales@teamnest.com.