Downtime is one of the biggest killers of productivity across the board. Every company will have its busy times and slower times, and employees usually think about downtime as an opportunity to relax. But this can be very frustrating for managers who want to maximize productivity, so if you are looking to improve employee engagement by maximizing productivity during slow periods, here are a few things for you to consider.
Starting at the Very Beginning
One of the best ways to minimize downtime or lapses in productivity is to hire the right people at the outset. This is not always a good option but if you're trying to make big changes to the organization, you've got to make sure you are finding the right caliber of employees. There are things you can do at the inception stage such as a pre employment medical check to ensure they are the right type of employee for you, but also ensuring that employees are headstrong enough to spearhead changes on a cultural level. Many employees want to slot into the company, but if you are trying to make big changes hiring people that have the bravery to withstand office politics is vital.
Offering Training
Cross-training is something that can be very beneficial to employees, especially when we're looking at minimizing downtime during a working day. Giving your employees additional training in another aspect of the business means that they can “hop” onto another station, which helps you to build a stronger workforce but also helps employees to feel more valued.
Communicate a Downtime Policy
When employees are going through a quiet period, you can benefit from reinforcing the downtime protocol. In many organizations, downtime is just not an option but is where you can incorporate a to-do list of things that need to be completed. When you're creating a downtime to-do list, it should be made up of things that are not urgently needed, but to make sure that these things are done properly, you need to communicate the importance of these tasks during the onboarding process. Hiring new employees means that you have the opportunity to set the tone and build an awareness of these downtime tasks.
Adding Incentives
Incentives are always an excellent way to engage employees. When we encourage employees to focus on those downtime tasks, this will ensure that the tasks are completed but the sense of fulfillment is greater because of the incentives and rewards on offer. For example, a simple reward could be for your employee to leave early. This is something that we could do if the entire day is slow or if there are issues with the equipment. But this may only work if you have salaried employees; if you are paying employees by the hour, the time off may be worth more than the paycheck itself.
If you are trying to keep your staff motivated during periods of downtime, there are plenty of little things you can do that will make a big difference.
