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| Employee Productivity Tracking |
Companies are relying on big data for big decisions.
Businesses are squeezed to do more with less in every department, from marketing to customer services. Big data helps because companies can analyze employee productivity to ensure they're getting the most impact from each employee.That's a big reason why 83% of businesses are trying to use big data. They want every edge they can get to beat the competition.
Learn how employee productivity tracking can transform your business into a lean business.
What are Your Business Goals?
Setting your business goals is your first step in setting up the systems to analyze productivity. Goal setting isn't reserved just for prosperous people with good habits. They're a necessary part of running a business.Your business goals need to be precise because you need to be able to track them effectively. There's a significant difference between saying you want more business and a 20% increase in new clients in 12 months.
Setting business goals gives you and your team a clear set of targets.
Which employees and departments are most impacted by your goals? For example, if you want to increase sales by 10%, you know that marketing and sales.
Another example is to increase customer satisfaction by 25% over the next 12 months. Your customer service team will be vital to achieving this objective. Your sales team will as well.
These departments will need to work together to ensure that your sales team sets customer expectations from the start. The customer service department will follow through with world-class service to ensure customers are thrilled with your product or service.
Employee Productivity Tracking Methods
The old-school method for tracking employee productivity is defined by a straightforward equation: Productivity = Output/Input.You get out of it what you put into it. That's not a wrong way to measure employee productivity, but other methods to track productivity might work better for your business.
Tracking Hours Worked
Tracking the hours your employees work is a big step in monitoring employee productivity. There are a lot of benefits to analyzing hours worked, starting with getting payroll right for your employees.
You can also see where employees' time is being spent. One employee might spend too much time on a project that doesn't bring that much revenue. You could be losing money on that project and not even know it.
You can track your customer service team to see how many inbound calls and emails they handle daily. You might find that some days are overstaffed, which means you can reduce your employees' time worked.
For example, if you want to track the hours worked by your team, you can use a tool like Time Clock Wizard.
You also have to be transparent with your employees. Tell them what you're planning to track and why. For example, you might be monitoring your delivery drivers for productivity but also for their safety.
This will give your employees time to adjust to the idea.
Your challenge with your employees is to get the necessary buy-in to make them feel like they're still trusted and empowered to do their jobs well.
Some employees may see productivity tracking as a threat to their jobs. You need to ensure you are upfront with your employees about why you're tracking them.
The more they understand that productivity tracking is to see how things can be done better, the more they'll know that productivity tracking isn't some Big Brother type of activity.
You can start by getting them involved in the process. Ask them what their biggest block are when it comes to workplace productivity. You can also get their opinion.
You might have too many distractions in the office or that some employees are better off working remotely.
Set a time once a month or quarterly to review the results. Are you seeing a trend toward hitting your business goal?
If so, you can look at your employee productivity statistics and see if there's a correlation. If not, then look at your employee tracking and see if there's something that stands out.
You should make changes to improve the situation, such as creating more training time to help your team do their jobs better.
Tracking By Results
Another way to monitor employee productivity is to look at each employee's results. You can track your inside sales team and measure the number of outbound calls they have against the number of sales made.You can track your customer service team to see how many inbound calls and emails they handle daily. You might find that some days are overstaffed, which means you can reduce your employees' time worked.
Determine the Tools to Use
Your employee productivity tracking methods are only as good as your tools. You want to make sure that you choose the tools that will track productivity in a way that's aligned with your business goals and monitoring methods.For example, if you want to track the hours worked by your team, you can use a tool like Time Clock Wizard.
Set Clear Expectations
Part of your responsibility when tracking employee productivity is to set expectations with your employees. You need to let them know your business goals and how you plan to reach them.You also have to be transparent with your employees. Tell them what you're planning to track and why. For example, you might be monitoring your delivery drivers for productivity but also for their safety.
This will give your employees time to adjust to the idea.
Get Employee Buy-In
People don't like change. Your employees are no exception.Your challenge with your employees is to get the necessary buy-in to make them feel like they're still trusted and empowered to do their jobs well.
Some employees may see productivity tracking as a threat to their jobs. You need to ensure you are upfront with your employees about why you're tracking them.
The more they understand that productivity tracking is to see how things can be done better, the more they'll know that productivity tracking isn't some Big Brother type of activity.
You can start by getting them involved in the process. Ask them what their biggest block are when it comes to workplace productivity. You can also get their opinion.
You might have too many distractions in the office or that some employees are better off working remotely.
Review Results and Make Necessary Changes
You can have the best employee tracking tools, but if you don't review the results or make any changes, you might as well not track them.Set a time once a month or quarterly to review the results. Are you seeing a trend toward hitting your business goal?
If so, you can look at your employee productivity statistics and see if there's a correlation. If not, then look at your employee tracking and see if there's something that stands out.
You should make changes to improve the situation, such as creating more training time to help your team do their jobs better.
Reach Your Goals by Improving Productivity
Running a business is a delicate balance between profitability and productivity. You're basically doing much more with less staff and resources.
You must also keep your employees and customers happy while working towards increased profitability and under pressure to do more with less.
It's not easy, but it becomes more possible with employee productivity tracking. There are several ways to track productivity and hold your employees accountable. Which method you use largely depends on what your business goals are.
Would you like more productivity tips? Check out this article that shows you the top 5 activities to boost productivity.
It's not easy, but it becomes more possible with employee productivity tracking. There are several ways to track productivity and hold your employees accountable. Which method you use largely depends on what your business goals are.
Would you like more productivity tips? Check out this article that shows you the top 5 activities to boost productivity.
