Workforce Management Featured Article
Three Ways to Improve Employee Productivity
Nothing psychologists do is actually mind-blowing; what they teach and help with is stuff all of us know on some level. But psychologists help us actually live and recognize these basic things we know, which is why they are so useful. They have the tools and they know what is most important.
The same is true for organizational psychologists. It isn’t that they are doling out mind-blowing wisdom. But what they can tell us is important nonetheless, and it can improve our businesses.
Three strategies that organizational psychologists recommend for improving workforce management include letting employees know their work matters, enabling them to work in smaller teams, and making sure that workers form bonds with each other.
All three of these techniques we know on some level, but are we applying all three of these principles in our businesses and within our workforce management programs? Let’s review.
First, it is important that employees know their work matters. Organizational psychologists have shown that when employees know that their work makes a difference, they work harder and get burned out less.
For instance, an experiment was done that found that study participants who were given a speech about the importance of their call center work outperformed those who had not heard the speech by 142 percent. Revenue from these motivated workers increased by 171 percent.
Second, organizational psychologists have shown that employees perform better when in small teams. Large teams create a sense of anonymity, which cuts down on accountability.
As people, we are conditioned to care about how others view us. So if employees work in small teams, they are more likely to want to perform well and to be responsible for their work.
Third, psychologists have found that trust matters in teams. And the way to build trust among employees is to have them know each other.
So a good workforce management program will make extra effort with team-building exercises and opportunities for employees to build strong bonds. These activities might seem unrelated to the business and unnecessary, but they are quite important for the trust that makes for good teamwork!
On some level we know these things. But the trick is applying them. So is your business doing all three of these strategies, and is it doing them well?
Edited by Stefania Viscusi