According to a recent survey only 25% of employees admit that they work as productively as possible. The survey showed that another 25% felt they could do 50% more while half of the workers surveyed openly admitted they could increase their productivity by an average of 26%.

The top five reasons given for thislack of maximum productivity were:

1. lack of supervision,
2. insufficient training,
3. exclusion from the decision-making process,
4. no reward for good performance, and
5. no opportunity for advancement

Not every company experiences a loss of performance to the same degree. Some organizations will suffer a greater loss while other organizations will find their employees better connected to the vision of their organization and their role in fulfilling that vision.

A separate survey revealed that in organizations where management felt their employees were the most connected and productive were typically the organizations where employees felt the least connected -- therefore having lower productivity.

How to overcome the productivity drain

By examining the five reasons given by the admittedly unproductive employees, one can quickly derive and implement low- or no-cost ways to connect employees for an improved bottom line.

Obviously many will draw the conclusion that to eliminate a lack of supervision, one could hire more supervisors. However the typical reason employees do not feel they are getting proper supervision is corporate culture. Supervisors must be encouraged to become more involved in their employees work life. This is not to say that they must look over the shoulder of their employees as that makes productivity even more. By encouraging supervisors to provide better feedback and proper empowerment methods, an organization can quickly, easily, and effectively improve an employee's perception that they are getting the proper amount of supervision without adding one more dollar of payroll.

In a company that feels they are providing adequate training, yet their employees feel the training is insufficient, it is a sign that training is being offered based on what management feels employees need. The proper method of determining what training needs to be offered is through analysis that looks at competencies currently being exhibited and areas where employees are experiencing the greatest struggles. Provided an organization does have some sort of training, it is probable to maintain that same budget for providing training more aligned with the employee's paradigm.

It does not cost any money to include employees in the decision-making process. Granted, the employees will need to be involved in additional meetings or surveys; however the net effect is that you regain the time through less employee grousing and management resolving employee issues.

Rewarding employees for good performance can be done in almost any environment at very low cost. The exception would be a workplace where an existing union contract specifically states that it is inappropriate to give any credit what so ever to a good worker. For some great ideas at low-cost employee reward programs, read “The Supervisor's Big Book of List”, by George Fuller.

A lack of employee advancement is an issue that cannot be addressed through avoidance. In our current challenging, competitive times many companies have found that attrition must replace hiring at many levels of management. If this is the case in your organization, it is unrealistic to duck the issue or to assume employees understand the issue. When upward movement becomes stifled, is extremely important to discuss this issue individually with each employ. Nothing short of these individual conversations will resolve this issue or reduce its impact on your organization.

MaxImpact offers programs to connect teams to a common vision, contact [email protected] or call 248-802-6138 today.

© 2006 Max Impact Corporation, Rochester Hills, Michigan, USA. All rights reserved.

Rick Weaver is an accomplished business executive with a wealth of experience in retail, market analysis, supply chain enhancement, project management, team building, and process improvement.

Rick career began in retailing as a stockclerk, eventually becoming the Director of Vendor Development at Kmart Corporation during it’s heyday. In this position he worked with hundreds of Kmart’s suppliers to improve mutual processes, procedures, and profits. As a consultant, Rick has worked with companies in various industries to develop leadership and business strategies. As an entrepreneur, Rick has founded or co-founded six successful organizations, including non-profit and for profit.

Now in his role as president of MaxImpact, Rick uses his vast experience helping individuals connect to their dreams and teams connect to a common vision. Rick’s presentation style of blending humor, real life examples, and easy to implement ideas has made him a popular speaker at seminars, workshops, and conferences in in 43 states, Canada, and Puerto Rico.

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