Companies of all sizes, no matter what industry they belong to, need a stable and active workforce to stay in business. One man alone cannot run everything when the line of work consists of multiple elements to maintain and possesses the potential to grow. When you hire people, they act as pillars of your organization’s foundation. Thus, it is mandatory that you trust each one of them and place them correctly to prevent your fall.

Every organization expects it’s staff to give them their best and pave the road to success. Sometimes it is forgotten that achieving the perfect balance at a workplace is a game played from both sides. The output depends on your input – you harvest what you sow. Here are some basic strategies essential to garner a productive workforce:

Hiring the Right People

First things first, you need to understand the nature of the job for which you’re hiring. Apart from being qualified (by academic degree and/or work experience) there are a number of other points to be considered. A resume can say a lot about a person, but an interview in person may change your opinion about them. You have to identify their strengths and weaknesses that could work in your favor.

Ask yourself if you need a team leader, someone creative/full of new ideas, a person who is good at taking orders, or an individual who can work alone. Perhaps you’re hiring someone for a job you can do too. What if he/she is better than you at it? Don’t let that appear as a threat to you. Don’t hold back to wield their wisdom; see it as an opening to learn and grow.

Embrace diversity as much as possible, as long as it doesn’t convert your office into a war zone. People supposed to work in a team should match in terms of intelligence, energy level, and moral values.

Communicate and Have Faith

You’re the boss and you make the rules. You have every right to take the final decision in every project. Nonetheless, you hired staff for a good reason and you know they’re qualified to do their job. Every now and then, their strategies might excel yours and your theory shall fail. So before jumping to conclusions, it is best to communicate and comprehend the situation from every angle.

Half-way through a project you may realize your mistake; it’s better to admit and listen to others. Being stubborn and enforcing a faulty plan will get you nowhere. Don’t hold back from accepting an employee’s idea if it’s beneficial to your business. They work for you and you’re human, there’s no shame.

Adopt and Encourage Neutrality

Regardless of the job’s rank or social image, treat everyone as an equal. It’s natural to develop favorites or prefer one over another, however you should never let it show. Give everyone a chance to shine and speak out. Also, never allow your people to snub each other or bully the weakest target.

Everyone is obliged to respect each other during work, and that includes you. Having the upper hand, you assume the position of a role model; your attitude and personality will echo. No matter what religion, race, gender, lifestyle, contrasting personal attributes & experiences – none should be considered superior in any way. Compensation or reward should be identical for everyone in all matters.  

Motivate and Facilitate

Create a working environment that is refreshing and stimulating for your staff. You can do this by providing basic facilities such as ergonomic furniture, good coffee, air conditioning, clean restrooms, proper ventilation etc. Adding fancy or artistic bits is also a great way to create an upbeat atmosphere. Let your employees’ workspace be a place they look forward to seeing every day.

When handing out projects, put forward realistic goals and rational deadlines. Always encourage innovation and appreciate good ideas. If someone’s performance is outstanding and has immensely benefited your company, acknowledge it by giving a bonus. Monetary incentives are the top strategy used to compel hard work and dedication.

Let first mistakes be forgiven and see how you can help to avoid repeating them. The most competent employees crave progress and despise monotony. Give them the opportunity to advance in their field by providing workshops, seminars, conferences and training sessions. Go as far as sponsoring courses/further education because a little financial investment will grant you greater returns in the future.

Make ‘Quality Control’ Everyone’s Business

The integrity of your organization is compromised if all your staff is not delivering quality. Many agencies tend to focus on ‘quantity’ because it is a common belief that abundance is the key to success. Unfortunately, this is not always true and sometimes ‘less is more’.

Let us use ‘blog writing’ as an example. Will you prefer to read an article that is long, dull and repetitive or one that is witty, engaging and to the point?

Getting the work done is not enough; it must reflect passion. Also, doing extra where it’s not necessary is useless. It’s better to work smart than work hard. This does not imply that you allow slacking off. Getting things done the easier way is completely different from making no effort and being idle low key. Make sure everyone is participating to the best of their abilities without exhausting themselves.

EndNote:

As you can see, building a productive workforce is no rocket science. All it asks for is a little empathy and sound judgment on your behalf. When you’re good to those under your wing, they’ll do their part in getting you to fly high. Attempt to know your people in and out, let them evolve and be patient.