6 ways to increase the productivity of front-line workers.

Your employees are the backbone of your business. They are in constant contact with your customers and central to getting results. More importantly, they make themselves available to you, allowing you to make your dream a reality.

To actually achieve the desired results. It is important that the hours they make themselves available have an impact. Or in other words, that they are productive. On one hand, it's about them getting their work done. On the other hand, it's about the time and effort they put in. In the end, the most important thing is the actual outcome. That's why we have outlined 6 ways in which you can increase the productivity of your frontline workers.

 
In a hurry? Here’s a quick run-down.

- This blog explains the importance of staff productivity, why it moves your business forward, and how you can increase it.

- How you can increase productivity through the following 6 points: A healthy work environment, good communication, identifying individual performance, buddy programs, high-quality feedback, and appreciation to your staff.

- A bonus tip at the end of the blog that allows you to take staff productivity to new heights.

Anyway, let's dive into the 6 ways to increase the productivity of your front-line workers.

- A healthy work environment
- Good communication
- Identify individual performance
- Make use of buddy programs
- Share high-quality feedback
- Express appreciation to your employees

It's easier said than done. Because before we can measure if time is well spent, we have to identify what actually matters. What brings value differs based on a company's activities. For example, in the restaurant industry, the example above is relevant, but in retail, different criteria are important. It comes down to natural differences per industry, but also in different areas of a specific industry. One thing that is common to every industry is the importance of measuring productivity. But why?

This used to be neglected at times. Under the guise of working hard means being productive, this was the norm. However, nowadays this cannot be the reality. For your staff to be productive, you need to provide them with a good environment. Happy employees give you happy customers. Make sure your employees have regular breaks, ideally once every 90 minutes. In addition, a week should consist of a maximum of 40 hours. Numerous studies have shown that after 40 hours, work output drops by 50%. It might not be the easiest thing to pull off in the hospitality industry, but the results speak for themselves.

Good and clear communication is key. Not only does it ensure that there is clarity about the state of affairs. It is a simple means of being able to reach each other well. But according to a McKinsey study, improving team communication can increase employee productivity by up to 25%! Use a workforce management tool like Workfeed with a build in chat feature that allows you and your team to accomplish this in an easy way.

Determining how your staff is performing individually will give you an insight into the current state of affairs. It tells you who deserves a compliment. But also who may need help. With Workfeed's revenue contribution feature, you can individually measure how much your staff contributes to the revenue. In other words, at a glance, you identify who your top and bottom performers are.

After you have mapped out the individual productivity. You can get new hires or low performers to buddy up with a top performer. 87% of companies using buddy programs report that these programs improve the efficiency of new hires. In addition, this allows you to grow the bottom performers by having them shadow the top performers.

By identifying who needs help, you can share feedback with them that is based on something. So it's not just criticism, but an opportunity for constructive feedback with a plan to improve it. According to Zippia, 65% of employees say they would like to receive more feedback. On top of that, companies that invest in regular employee feedback experience a 14.9% lower employee turnover rate.

Remember to show appreciation when your employee demonstrates good results. But also be sure to show appreciation when your employees demonstrate improvement based on feedback. 40% of employees say they would put in more effort if that effort were recognized more often. A no-brainer if you ask us. Workfeed provides you a handle to easily identify people who deliver more than usual, so you can easily appreciate the extra effort.

By sharing the revenue goals with your staff, everyone is aware of the revenue that is targeted. At the end of the day, you can share the result with your team. A fun twist is to challenge the staff to guess the actual revenue. It makes your staff feel like they are part of the company and it motivates them to think in terms of revenue as well as satisfied customers.