Employee productivity is a very important aspect of any business. 

Without productivity, work goes unfinished, goals aren’t met, and businesses fail. An enterprise with an unproductive workforce is doomed for failure, which is why tracking, managing, and optimizing employee productivity is so crucial.

In this article, we will look at why productivity is so important. Also, we will go over tips that enterprise teams can implement immediately to increase productivity and track productivity at work for great results.

The Importance Of Improving Productivity

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While there are many aspects of business and commerce, the ultimate goal is to generate revenue. In order to make revenue, businesses need employees to perform labor. 

And, if employees are not being productive—as in failing to get as much work done as expected of them—then a business may struggle to reach its goals and remain profitable.

Without knowing how to measure productivity in the workplace, key activities within a business either do not get done, do not get done properly, or do not get done on time. When this occurs, businesses suffer the consequences.

Only by increasing inputs (the effectiveness of work performed by employees) can outputs (revenue) be increased as well.

Needless to say, a productive workforce is essential for enterprises to be successful and maintain an upward growth trajectory.

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The Cost Of Low Productivity

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An unproductive workforce is a major liability for enterprises. 

Not only can unproductive employees make it difficult for businesses to reach output or revenue goals, but they can also actually do significant damage to the company.

Throughout the USA, trillions of dollars every year are lost in productivity due to distractions, health problems and other causes. Exactly how much of this massive loss of productivity is preventable is hard to know, but the point is clear: productivity is a vital metric for any business, both big and small.

When productivity is at an all-time high, this means work gets done more efficiently. Naturally, this leads to lower operational costs and a better experience for customers, whether it be through customer service, faster production times for products, or faster delivery times for services.

This is especially true for enterprise teams. 

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Productivity Compounds at Scale

The larger the business, the bigger the inputs and outputs. In terms of revenue, a 1% productivity increase for a billion-dollar business would produce 10x more results than it would for a million-dollar business.

For million- and billion-dollar companies, the time spent interacting (and not being productive) at work can mean millions of dollars in lost wages!

The bigger the business, the more important it is to enhance productivity. The longer an enterprise fails to maximize workforce productivity, the longer they miss out on potentially millions (or billions) of extra revenue.

Luckily, there are many ways to master productivity (such as using software to track employee productivity).

Let’s take a closer look at how to master productivity at scale.

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4 Steps To Improve Productivity At Work

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The more employees within an enterprise, the harder it can be to master productivity. This is a byproduct of scale. Simply, the more moving, interconnected parts you have, the more complex it is getting them working together.

Also, it is now more important than ever to focus on productivity. Digital tools (like productivity monitoring tools) and technology have revolutionized productivity for businesses of all sizes in all industries.

In other words, technology (phones, computers, software, etc.) is making reaching maximum productivity easier than ever before.

So, we’ve put together four of the best ways to maximize productivity within your enterprise team with the productivity monitoring tools you have at your disposal today.

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#1 Segment Productive Time Based On Team Roles

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Naturally, different departments and employees will have different tasks that can be called productive.

For example, staff within the marketing department may need to spend a lot of time using social media. After all, social media marketing is a vital part of marketing today… so, you can expect marketing staff to be on social media throughout the day.

However, a designer would not need to go on social media. So, it would be important to have rules for designer staff that are not the same for marketing staff.

This is just one example of many.

Make sure certain departments or employees are only working on tasks that are productive for their specific roles. It can be easier to set rules that apply to everyone, but this leaves space for unproductive time during work hours.

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#2 Adapt And Be Flexible

Productivity is an ever-evolving target. Without flexibility and the willingness to adapt, it is very hard for enterprises to master productivity.

Alternative workforce models, such as the hybrid workplace (a blend of remote and in-person work), are common solutions to poor productivity within enterprise teams.

Flexible work arrangements can spur productivity by removing office-based distractions, allowing employees to work at their most productive times, and by supporting their wellbeing.

Don’t be afraid to try different systems or models to see what works and what doesn’t.

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#3 Encourage Cross-Team Collaboration At Scale

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Bottlenecks are a common culprit for poor productivity. However, preventing bottlenecks can be a task of its own. 

One of the causes of bottlenecks is lack of time and resources within a team. A great way to counter these common bottleneck causes to maintain productivity is to encourage cross-team collaboration. 

By  promoting more cross-team collaboration you ensure your company’s full resources can be put into action across departments and projects can maintain momentum with broader team input.  

Encouraging cross-team collaboration is a seemingly simple, yet often overlooked, way to kickstart productivity improvement for enterprise teams.

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#4 Quantify Productivity 

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Quantifying productivity is the first step toward improving it. But how to measure productivity in the workplace can be a vexing task for many employers.

That’s why following metrics using software, like time tracking productivity apps, is very important for enterprise teams.

Without productivity apps for computers, quantifying productivity is nearly impossible -- especially for large enterprises. Tracking productivity makes it easy to see what’s working, what's not, and how to optimize. 

Be sure to conduct proper research to find the best office productivity software for your business.

How To Measure Productivity In The Workplace

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Focusing on productivity within a business is a very high-ROI activity that can improve the livelihood of a business drastically.

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For large enterprises, productivity monitoring tools can be used to track metrics like productivity per hour worked.

Whatever tools and techniques you choose to use to maximize your team’s productivity, you can start with the four core steps outlined above.