4 Signs That Employee Productivity is on the Skids
If human resources are a company’s most valuable resources, as a famous business perspective claims, then employee productivity is the lifeblood of company. Has employee productivity at your company taken a dive? If so, it’s important to recognize the signs and consider whether they have more to do with factors in the work environment than employees’ personal integrity.
With this in mind, let’s look at four common signs that indicate a lack of productivity due to a lack of motivation, and explain how incentive-based travel trips can help address the phenomenon.
- Company Meetings are Used to “Catch Up”
Sometimes, company meetings need to be held to apprise employees of unexpected contingencies in a business project, or to brainstorm solutions for a sudden obstacle. But meetings are ideally used to move everyone forward regarding the work in question. This only happens when employees maintain good inter-communication between meetings.
Workers who don’t maintain good communication and only seem “in it for themselves” often express a dissatisfaction with their work or the workplace, such as a low level of compensation that is incongruous with the high level of effort they put forth in order to succeed.
- Near Maximum Number of Sick Days Taken
Management doesn’t blink when an employee takes all of his annual vacation days, but when he uses all of his sick days, too — especially in the absence of a doctor’s letter — his work behavior can look lazy and disengaged. However, before managers write him off as a barnacle on the corporate ship, they should consider whether the unproductive behavior is tied to unproductive practices in the workplace, such as offering more criticism than praise.
- Heavy Internet Use That Isn’t Work Related
At most companies, it’s acceptable to read an online fashion blog or sports column during lunch hour, but when leisurely web surfing occurs throughout the rest of the day, it takes employees away from their tasks, or at least slows them down. In many cases, though, the root of indiscriminate internet use in the workplace isn’t due to simple laziness. Rather, it’s often tied to a lack of satisfaction with work due to a lackluster employee reward structure.
- Vacations Sought at the Busiest Time of Year
After your employees work in your industry for a while, they learn which times of the year are busiest and most stressful for your company. Those are the times when you need your employees most, but if they don’t like the work environment, the dissatisfaction is likely to be magnified during periods of heavy business.
Playing hooky with vacation days is an easy way to de-stress for a few weeks, but when workers return to their jobs, they often find that vacation leave makes work pile up, which creates more dissatisfaction and a desire for more vacation. To help end the vicious cycle, consider whether employees truly have a fair work situation. If they don’t, make it right.
How We Can Help
It’s tempting to write off non-productive employees off as lazy, selfish, entitled, etc. But when employees seem to exhibit these qualities, it can be symptomatic of a larger problem: a lack of meaningful compensation that leads to a lack of morale, which compromises productivity.
At Incentive Travel Solutions, we find that highly enjoyable, incentive-based travel trips can increase employee productivity in two corollary ways: By providing meaningful compensation for great performance, and by motivating employees to qualify for the compensation. To learn about our services, give us a call today at 704) 540-1482, or inquire by using our contact form.
