High productivity can help your company better serve customers and improve profit margins. However, a number of problems can arise that cause worker frustrations and drags on efficiency. Workers are on the front line of getting tasks done, and they can tell you a great deal about the factors that are inhibiting productivity. If you listen to them carefully, they can often provide the information you need to create a more efficient work environment. These 5 factors are often among the top problems that affect workers directly and cause drags on productivity.
Delays in Receipt of Necessary Materials
Nothing is more frustrating to workers than having delays in receiving critical work components. Purchasing and receiving problems can cause lags in productivity that can be bad for morale and can undercut your bottom line. When delays occur, review deliveries with your suppliers. If necessary, find new suppliers that can provide these materials on a more reliable schedule.
Excessive Amounts of Clutter that Impede Efficiency
Storing excess goods in a work area makes it harder to move efficiently during work tasks and can make a significant dent in productivity. They can also become a safety hazard. Periodically review work areas to remove excess clutter and have it stored in other areas if not needed for immediate use. If you don’t have sufficient storage space, consider renting an outside company storage unit from a self storage company, if needed.
Poor Communication
When management fails to communicate goals clearly, workers are unable to do the follow through that makes it happen. Review your methods of communication with workers to ensure they all have a sufficient information to do the job quickly and efficient. Halting work to get clarity on instructions can lead to missed deadlines and worker frustration.
No Channel for Receiving Worker Feedback
Another area where employee frustration can undermine productivity is not having a clear channel to receive information from the floor upward. When a problem arises, there should be a stated protocol for notifying management of the problem, so it can be quickly resolved. Workers can then get back to their assigned tasks and can complete them in a timely manner.
Understaffing
Another common source of worker frustration is not having enough workforce on hand to do the job within the assigned timeframe. This problem can make workers feel hopeless about their ability to achieve goals and can lead to resentment and reduced productivity. If you must, put in overtime hours or add temporary helpers to avoid leaving your workers feeling unsupported in their work goals.
It’s often small, easily-corrected problems that cause employee irritation and are a drag on productivity. If left uncorrected, these problems can become a source of major frustration. Careful attention to factors in the work environment can help to remove these barriers to high productivity. Business owners can also pay attention to worker complaints. The issues that keep repeating may have developed into a real impediment to good working conditions and can end up costing your company money or valuable employees.
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