This is Part 4 of the Workplace Productivity Tips.
16. Get people to use your inbox
Instead of being interrupted with questions while you are in the zone, create an inbox where people can just submit their questions or suggestions to you. You can opt to just have them email you but this will depend on how much email you actually get. If most of your email are from clients, then it's probably best to have them put their suggestions or questions in your box. Once you have time, you can go through them and answer them with more care. These questions should only be ones that they couldn't find out by asking others by the way. Create a environment of openness almost like a helpful forum.
17. Eliminate useless meetings
If the point of having a meeting is because it's something you do every week or month, elminate it. Meetings need to have a strong enough purpose to be pulling people away from their work. Many meetings conducted around world are seen as a waste of time. Some employees actually like these meetings since to them, it's a time to kick back and relax and not have to work.
In order to have effective meetings, everyone involves needs to know the objective and the agenda before hand. If you are the one running the meeting, be prepared. It's a waste of time to spend the first 5-10 minutes of the meeting preparing for the meeting. If the purpose of the meeting is just to announce something news, unless if it's really important, just email it to everyone. If the meeting is to solve a problem, everyone coming into the meeting should know what the issue is and be prepared to give any solutions they may have. If you find that your meetings not very productive, eliminate them or at least lessen the frequency.
18. Praise immediate, specifically, and publicly
One great way to increase employee productivity is by praising an employee of a job well done. Most supervisors know this but to do it effectively, you must also do it specifically. Instead of merely saying, "You did a good job", you want to tell them exactly what they did that you think was good. When you praise an employee for doing a good job, they are more likely to keep up the good work or even do a better job. Now if the compliment is vague, they won't know what to continue doing. Give them the specifics.
Another thing you want to do is my your praises public. This will depend on the level of work of course. If it was just something really minor then it may not be necessary. One of the things that almost all employees want is to know that what they do matters and is being appreciated by the company. By giving them praise publicly, this will boost their confidence and esteem and will help them perform even better. Always remember to be sincere with your praises. Don't compliment just to get people to do a better job. It's just wrong.
19. Create a fun environment
People work more efficiently when they enjoy their work. When people hate or are bored with their work, they won't put much into it. Some employers think that creating a fun environment will slow efficiency and this may be true. It really depends on what type of employees you have. If you have a bunch of low paid workers who could care less about their job, then this may not be the best idea. However, if you have a lot of highly skilled professionals, it may be just what they need. Take Google for example. They are known for creating a fun work environment as well as being one of the leading companies in the world. Yes, work can be fun and productive at the same time.
20. Hire the right people
Take time to examine your potential employees. Learn how to pick and choose the best ones for the job. Remember that just because someone has a college degree it doesn't mean that they are better suited than someone who doesn't. It will come down to experience and level of passion for the job. There are many resources out there that can help you improve your employee hiring skills.
