Dealing with Productivity Issues in Your Business

Low productivity can be like a virus in small businesses. When productivity dips, your employees won’t provide the kind of services your customers need, and you won’t be able to attract new business. Those circumstances translate into lower profits, which in turn makes all of the work your employees do more costly for your business. Sometimes, all you need to fight back against productivity issues is new business management software that provides better tracking and improved performance. Here is a look at what you need to know about low productivity and fighting your way back to an efficient output.

What are some of the signs of low productivity?

Low productivity will reveal itself when you run the numbers on your business, but often you can spot its signs before you balance your books. These signs can indicate that performance is dipping in your business:

• Bickering between employees
• Increased absenteeism among your staff
• Working longer hours without an increase in customers
• Employee frustration or complaints about policies, software, scheduling, and other business functions

Watching your employees can tell you a lot about your business. Changes in the way they do their jobs could indicate that productivity has declined.

What causes low productivity?

There are a number of potential triggers for low productivity, and as a business owner, not all of them are within your control. For instance, personal problems can make an employee’s performance slide, and there aren’t many steps you can take to correct the source of the issue. However, these productivity-related issues are generally confined to one employee. Broader productivity problems that affect the majority of your team may easily addressed by you, such as:

• Outdated business management software that makes it take longer than needed to perform certain tasks or that frustrates employees
• Hiring employees who don’t meet the specific needs of your business
• Bullying in the workplace by one or more members of your team

Identifying the issue is the first step towards correcting it. Inviting employee feedback can help you isolate what may be happening.

How can I reverse employee productivity problems?

Give your employees the tools they need for success. Update old business management software and make adjustments to policies that employees report interfere with their abilities to perform their jobs. After you make the adjustments, track the response from your employees. If you have corrected the issues and some employees still show low productivity, you may need to address their personal performance with them individually.

Our business management software is an industry leader for service-related businesses and can help to streamline your processes so that productivity climbs. To find out what our software can do for your company, visit our website. You can also read our blog for more advice for small business owners.