How Can Supervisors Improve Productivity?

More with less; less is more. There are numerous catchphrases to indicate that a business wants to increase productivity. Management is responsible for ensuring that employees are working as efficiently as possible without damaging employee morale. Managers are responsible for the productivity of their employees. Rewards and bonuses are extended to those mangers that have some of the most productive employees in the company. There are methods that a supervisor can use to improve productivity.

Obstacles

One of the duties of a supervisor is to remove obstacles that make it difficult for the employees to do the job. Because of the supervisor's position in the company, she can influence how business is conducted. Employee productivity suffers when employees must endure repeated problems with systems or processes. Supervisors can establish relationships with other departments, particularly the IT group and groups that provide input into the supervisor's area of responsibility. Work with other departments to negotiate solutions to the problems.

Communication

Supervisors have a responsibility to keep the lines of communication open with their employees. Employees that continuously get information from the "office grapevine" or through secondary sources feel "out of the loop." Productivity suffers if employees do not receive policy and procedure updates in a timely manner. As a supervisor, schedule weekly or bi-weekly meetings with the employees as a group. This will ensure everyone hears the same message at the same time. During meetings, provide a question/answer session to air any misunderstandings. Another way to improve productivity via communication is to keep employees informed about their performance. Do not wait until the scheduled performance appraisal time. Let the employee know how he is performing throughout the year. These conversations will help address any performance issues and the employee has the opportunity to correct the behavior.

Involvement

Supervisors can help improve productivity by involving employees in departmental improvements. The employees are on the front lines when dealing with customers and doing the hands-on work. They know what the problems are, including frequent customer complaints. Because of their hands-on knowledge, they have some of the best ideas for fixing the problems. Solicit their input and participation in projects that improve the department's efficiency and morale. Include select employees in work planning sessions. Create a team of employees whose focus is to implement process improvements throughout the department.

References

• Best practices manual for supervisors
• Improve product quality & output per worker
• Improve productivity with performance evaluations

Resources

• Improve employees' confidence levels & watch productivity go up
• Tips for supervisors: Identifying & assisting troubled employees