Keeping a regular check on overall employee productivity can bring noticeable changes to a company and help in the overall growth. It is like a mutual benefit for both employees and the company. But, the most common question is- How to measure employee productivity? And which method to follow?
In this article, we will discuss the methods to measure employee productivity. And also how the traditional techniques are proven to be flawed.
Productivity is misinterpreted mostly as "efficient production." But the actual productivity is always how efficiently the resources get utilized. The workforce, working hours, time, and money (investment & capital assets) cannot be overlooked. But measuring productivity is not easy as applying the productivity formula (Total Output/Total Input= Total Productivity).
Let Us Understand What Exactly Is Productivity In An Organization?
Sir Fredrick Taylor, a mechanical engineer from the 19th Century, was a manual worker. And he specified productivity as the improvement in one's work. And he explained it with two methods-
Firstly, taking an example of a fisherman who uses a net to catch fishes from a boat. Taylor observed each process from throwing the net till they caught fishes. He terminated the steps that were a waste of time and unnecessary.
Secondly, He suggested modifying the boat and techniques with a better quality net. That can overall contribute to the fisherman's productivity and efficiency.
In the same way, an organization needs to improve the work approach and methods to measure productivity. When the employees work sincerely during their working hours without wasting any time, they are productive.
The Need To Measure Productivity
Here are two of the most important reasons to measure employee productivity-
Business profit maintenance
It is one of the most important reasons to keep a check on employee productivity. When your workforce is working and gelling well, success naturally rolls in. When you track your employees, it becomes easy to detect the backlogs.
Tracking employees' productivity and helping them to grow
Tracking productivity can be beneficial for both the parties- employer and employees. The employees will work more efficiently and with transparency if they are under surveillance. Employers can track their work and its perfection or flaws. The mistakes can be reported to the employees so that they do not repeat them.
But before we discuss the three simple tricks to measure productivity, let us first understand the traditional methods and why they are flawed.
The traditional method to measure employee productivity, as mentioned above, was Output/Input= Productivity. This method was declared ineffective and flawed, with the technology enhancement over the years, and surveillance demanded new ways to be precise and flawless.
Anyway, the reasons for it to be flawed are-
It focused majorly on the quantity and not the quality of work leading to the incapability to satisfy the client's needs and expectations. Being loaded with a lot of work was considered productive. Just imagine! How flawed this concept is if you think of it now.
The second reason is that every work was regarded as the same or of the same level. The areas of work are different and require a different set of skills. Therefore, it can not be categorized as the same level of work.
None of the above methods sounds fair and right. So let us explore the three modern-day techniques for measuring employee productivity.
Establishing employee performance metrics-
The main factor in determining productivity is the KPIs (key performance indicators) of employees during their working hours. KPIs check the overall quantity as well as the quality of the work done by them. But the bad part about these metrics is that it does not take the intangible efforts into account.
Mapping employee productivity with tracking software-
It is one of the most trending methods for tracking actual employee productivity nowadays. Due to the COVID-19 outbreak, the remote work culture came into existence and became inevitable as the situation worsened. The productivity tracking software helps in detecting the actual working hours, idle hours, e-mails/texts, keystrokes, and overtime with the employee internet monitoring that gave the reports regarding their overall internet activities (internet browsing history, websites visited, download history, social media browsing, etc.)
Some of the most-used employee monitoring software are-
EmpMonitor
Time Doctor
Hubstaff
Inter Guard
ActivTrak
Maintaining regular attendance records
Employee attendance is of significant importance for a firm. And maintaining it will let the employers be aware of frequent absenteeism, especially for the remote employees. Let us be honest manual maintenance is hectic. Every organization is deploying employee attendance tracker software for the easy flow of work to maintain the company culture.
One additional tip is to keep your employees engaged!
Ensuring if the employees are happy and satisfied or not with their work will reflect in their work behavior. If they are unhappy with their jobs then they will remain unproductive and unmotivated. If you support them, they will feel encouraged and give their best.
Here are some quick tips to keep the employees engaged-
Encourage the employees for personality development and know their interests before assigning them a task. It will accelerate both personal and professional growth.
Try to maintain a stress-free workspace. Punishing an employee for a blunder he/she made is not always a great approach. Try to handle them kindly and politely. Appreciate their opinions, interests, ideas, and contribution.
Motivate teamwork. It will create harmony between the team members or the remote teams while they work together. Eliminating the personal and work clashes.
Wrapping It Up!
The workforce is the backbone of any organization, and treating them well can encourage them to perform better. Methods to measure employee productivity are a trending topic these days, as the employees are working from their homes, mostly. You can surely use the above tips to maintain a healthy work environment.
If I missed out on any tips or methods, please feel free to suggest them to me in the comments section. I would love to explore more about it.
