In most organizations, employee productivity is a key area of focus. Not only for us in the hardwood lumber industry but in all industries, businesses rely upon their workforce to keep producing goods and providing services. However, it’s not always easy finding the right way to support or enhance employee productivity, beyond what’s already in place.
For us within The Baillie Group we find ourselves constantly trying to improve in this area across all disciplines of the business. That includes with our employees in our sawmills, hardwood concentration yards, or even the hardwood lumber trading team.
As we have noted before, “Whether it be our team of foresters meeting with landowners, our sawmill employees helping us turn logs to lumber or our administrative team helping provide the right hardwoods,” we urge our leaders to look for ways to boost productivity!
Over the years we have found that if we focus our attention on these four areas it really improves our performance. Maybe one of these will help you as well.
Motivation - There are distinct challenges to managing and motivating a workforce. Employers (and managers) should look closely at their current management approach and see if there are ways to improve interactions between employees.
First, try to avoid micromanagement. Instead, as Omnipresent notes, “focus on hiring value-aligned talent and create a framework for success by giving them the tools they need to do their job well.” This leads to “measuring performance by outcomes rather than how busy an employee seems.”
Employees who feel connected with the organization are often motivated to increase their output. Be sure to maintain contact with your team and use whatever tools and technology you have at your disposal.
Training - Invest in better training programs for your employees, especially new hires. Ensure your team has access to the information and resources that they need to be successful. One best practice we found helpful was to start a centralized self-paced company training library. This allows employees to increase their knowledge and improve their skills for the roles they have today as well as potentially advance their career with you!
Work Environment - Take a fresh look at your work environment. Adhering to industry-accepted standards of lighting, cleanliness, spacing and safety are essential to helping employees get more done. The same principle applies to reducing unwanted waste and leveraging company resources in a productive and responsible manner.
In this area we also like to focus on ensuring we are fostering an environment of teamwork! As noted previously “we recognize the importance of building a culture that promotes teamwork” because we believe it improves the overall customer experience as well as the interpersonal relationships of our employees.
Employee Wellness - In the past, the idea of employee wellness focused mainly on only physical health. Today, it is so much more than that. Employers should be prepared to find ways to offer programs that can also offer support for mental, emotional, and even financial wellness. If you do you might ways to help your employees manage stress, build better relationships, and reduce workplace burnout which all can lead to improve productivity!
What are you doing to boost employee productivity? We’d love to hear from you!
Tony Cimorelli
Baillie Lumber Co.