Productivity is at the heart of every successful workplace. If employees are motivated and engaged with their work then not only will they complete tasks faster and more efficiently, but the business itself will also be a more positive place to work.
Professional development is an excellent way to hone productivity and ensure that employees understand the best way to spend their time to maximize how well they are doing their jobs. Identifying key skills, working towards targets, and engaging with learning resources can all improve performance in a range of roles, as well as leading to better self-awareness which is also good for productivity.
Here are four of the best techniques to improve workplace productivity through professional development.
Utilize Productivity Software
A key part of many people’s professional development is getting comfortable and competent using new technologies and software that makes it easier to do their job. There are plenty of programs and digital tools out there that can optimize the way you work and improve productivity, from general pieces of software to specific applications designed to organize tasks and automate processes.
Certain workplaces may have specific software that they use to improve overall productivity, so a key focus of a new employee’s professional development could be getting comfortable with this and spending time personalizing the user interface for improved ease of use. Many pieces of general productivity software also have more complex shortcuts, functions, and tools that can be mastered with practice, which can also have a positive impact on productivity.
Trello is a classic example of a piece of productivity software that is used in numerous organizations and workplaces and is also a great example of a tool that can be used on a very basic level or personalized with unique shortcuts and collaborative options.
As well as specific tools to improve organization, efficiency, and focus, professional development time might also be spent sourcing or learning to use software that is specific to your industry. In certain departments or positions, productivity can be massively improved with the use of programs and software that have been specifically designed to simplify a common process in a profession, to optimize a way of working or carry out a certain task.
For example, those who work in HR may benefit massively from using recruitment tools to streamline processes like screening candidates or sending out rejection and acceptance emails. Getting comfortable with this kind of software and finding new tools and applications to further improve how things are done is an excellent way to work on professional development and massively improve productivity with the software you find.
Learn Presentation Skills
Certain roles involve a significant amount of presentation, whether that’s a managerial position or a sales job that requires constant pitching to potential new clients. In these instances, a key focus of professional development should be on learning or building on the skills needed to give outstanding presentations every time.
Confidence and clear communication are essential parts of giving presentations, and both of these are important soft skills that are frequently targeted in employee development. Whether they are honed through practice, slowly worked up to through increased team participation, or actively supported with courses and resources, employees who are excellent at presenting are a very valuable asset to any business.
It’s not just the final presentation that will benefit from professional development, however; time should also be spent improving the process of devising and prepping for a presentation. Most talks or pitches only last an hour maximum, whereas weeks can be spent on planning what needs to be said, what resources need to be shared, and how best to deliver every point.
It’s these steps where increased productivity will make the biggest difference, and so it’s these areas that professional development should focus on.
A presentation might also just be a part of a regular team meeting, in which case workplace productivity will be positively impacted if professional development time is spent researching methods of having efficient meetings and improving listening and decision-making skills to ensure that time isn’t wasted and everyone involved is kept focused and engaged.
Hone Roles and Responsibilities
A very effective way of improving productivity in the workplace that many people tend to skip over is ensuring that roles and responsibilities are made clear.
A lot of time can end up getting wasted if people are doing tasks that could be delegated to someone else or if certain tasks are ignored by everyone and result in holding up projects. A simple way to streamline how everyone works is to ensure that everyone understands exactly what responsibilities their roles involve and identify if there are any cracks that jobs are slipping through.
This can be done as an individual professional development task or as a group session where everyone discusses what needs to be done and what they think they are responsible for.
Not only will this increase overall productivity by ensuring that there aren’t
any hold-ups in established processes, but it can also have a positive impact on individual productivity. Understanding exactly what is expected of a role ensures that there aren’t any external distractions or worries about other jobs that should be getting done, which means that focus can be solely dedicated to the task at hand.
Having clarity on expectations also makes it easier to set goals, which is great for effective professional development. When employees know exactly what they are aiming for they are more motivated to work productively, which has a positive impact on an individual and company-wide level.
Reduce Workplace Stress
Whilst it may not be a conventional approach to professional development, spending time establishing effective methods of stress management has a multitude of benefits, particularly on productivity.
It’s a well-known fact that feeling high levels of stress makes it harder for anyone to complete a task effectively. Learning the best ways to deal with stress and minimize the effects whilst at work through personal reflection, mindfulness, or stress management courses is an incredibly rewarding way of working on online professional development courses that will have a positive impact on many different aspects of life at work.
Firstly, and perhaps most importantly, feeling less stressed increases productivity. If you’re not distracted by pressure, worry, doubt, and anxiety then it is much easier to focus on what needs to get done and complete it quickly and efficiently.
Feeling less stressed at work also increases job satisfaction and enjoyment, meaning that all employees have a much happier time when they’re at work. This also increases productivity as a whole as when everyone’s mood is positive the energy in a business or organization is higher, staffs are more motivated, and more tasks are completed.
On a personal level, reduced stress leads to better mental health which can be a very beneficial aspect of professional development. When your mental health is good it is easier to set goals, make strategic plans for future success and utilize personal strengths to achieve personal effectiveness, which is why stress management is a very valuable aspect of development to work on.
Summary
Productivity in the workplace is not only the responsibility of each employee but also the managers and directors who dictate internal processes, choose software and digital tools, and decide how much time is spent improving individual performance. Highlighting productivity as a key focus for personal development is an excellent way to make a workplace more efficient, as well as improving the atmosphere at work, reducing stress levels, and ensuring that employees all feel like the work they are doing matters.
