If you want your workforce to perform as well as you know they can, you need to take a few steps. It’s up to you as the boss to ensure that you are doing everything possible to boost productivity. And how you treat your employees plays a big part in this. Here are four things you should do to get the very best from your workforce.
1. Make the Office a Pleasant Place to Work
First of all, you need to think about the office as a workplace in itself. You can’t expect people to work well for your company if they don’t have a strong environment in which they can do this. There are plenty of things that you can do to make sure that the office is a good place to work for everyone though. Very simple things like making sure that there is plenty of light in the room, and the right temperature make a big difference. You should try to remove all the distractions that could stop people from doing their best work each day.
2. Offer Feedback Rather than Criticism
People don’t always like being confronted with direct and overt criticism. It can be difficult for them to see the positives when they are only being told about the positives. This is why the feedback you give to them is so important. If they feel like they are only being handed criticism all the time, then this could damage their performance in the long-term. Instead, you should make sure that you offer the constructive feedback. This should include the things that they are doing well, as well as the things that the individual needs to improve. If you get that balance right, you should be able to keep everyone motivated.
3. Encourage Good Health
If you want to get the most from your employees, you need to make sure that they’re healthy. Of course, you can’t force people to live healthily; that’s something that’s up to them. You can, however, do a few things to encourage your employees to work in a positive and healthy way. For example, you could run a cycling to work scheme. Or you could make sure that everyone hydrated. Keeping staff hydrated a great idea, and it keeps everyone alert and focused all day. You should also give people breaks in which they can move around.
4. Give People the Chance to Collaborate
People often give their best work when they are given the chance to work together. Forcing people to stick to their own desks and work on a project can be detrimental to the work they produce. Whereas if they are allowed to share ideas and talk to other people about their thoughts with regards to the work, this should help a lot. They will be able to get new perspectives and try new things. It’s something that you should try out. When they are given the chance to work together and collaborate, they just might surprise you a little.