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Many employers see productivity as a way to squeeze more work out of the worker. But this vision starts to change. Companies begin to understand that improved efficiency leads to reduced stress, increased control, and well‐being. Increased productivity is a positive outcome for all involved.
In many cases, managers rule in a conventional style. Meetings run a stereotypical way, people hold strict job responsibilities, and there’s a clear hierarchy within a company. While sticking to routines isn’t always a bad thing, there are less-conventional management strategies and practices that can lead to better team cohesion and performance.
Productivity is having the ability to do things you never had the ability to do before. – Franz Kafka, famous Jewish novelist
If you want to increase employee happiness and engagement in the workplace, try implementing some of these unconventional policies in your office.
Provide flexible work options
According to studies, flexible work hours lead to better mental and physical health for employees – like allowing employees to work from home once or twice a week or adjust their hours based on when they perform best.
If your office can be flexible and give employees the type of hours they need to be at their most efficient. Also creates a more trusting bond between you and the staff and improves overall office morale.
Encourage fun breaks
A break for forced fun can reduce mental fatigue, increase collaboration and morale, and offer employees the opportunity to clear their heads. So celebrating birthdays, allowing a budget for team lunches, holding quarterly group activities or even having a beer or snack cart for random holidays can be the best way to boost team spirit and culture.
Also with breaks, don’t set a strict time limit. Controlled breaks aren’t effective. Each person is different, and different personalities and tasks need different time frames and styles of breaks.
Keep an eye on the temperature of the office
When employees are too cold, they’re focused on that rather than their work and tend to make more mistakes. And when they’re overheated, employees are easily fatigued and again, struggle to concentrate on their tasks.
One solution to the common thermal stress problem is adding more thermostats throughout your building so each floor can better control their temperature variations. It may cost a bit more, but if you don’t find a solution, employees end up paying the price of discomfort and making more errors.
Strum a guitar
According to neuroscientists, playing an instrument is like giving your brain a full-body workout. It is a perfect way to refocus during a break. Rather than just lighting up one area of the brain, which is what you would expect to see in individuals reading or doing math problems, playing an instrument causes multiple areas of the brain to light up.
If you’re unable to play an instrument and don’t have time to learn, simply listening to music while you work can help to fire up your brain. Similar tactics are used to boost teams productivity in many international companies.
Allow nap time
“Don’t sleep on the job.” We’ve all heard that phrase. But maybe it’s time to rethink it, especially because more companies are starting to allow employees to sleep on the job in hopes that they’ll be more productive throughout the day.
Allowing employees to take a 20-minute power nap in a dark room on a comfy recliner or couch will make a big difference. Sleep not only helps people be more productive, but it also helps them be healthier, less stressed and more creative.
Experiment with some of these unconventional ways to improve workplace productivity, and after some time, you’ll learn what works and what doesn’t for your office.
You can try as many new unconventional tactics as you wish until you find the best ones to boost your teams’ productivity. Whatever you decide, you’ll have healthier, happier employees, and like we mentioned earlier, happiness increases productivity.