By: Yeissa M. Rodríguez | September 2024
Yeissa Rodríguez is the President of Innova Compliance Solutions and the Director of the Puerto Rico International Banks Association (PRIBA), helping financial institutions comply with its regulatory expectations.
Being managers, we’re often tasked with assessing our team’s productivity. The conventional approach involves crunching numbers: tallying up working hours, subtracting vacation days, and accounting for sick leave. It seems straightforward—math doesn’t lie, right? But let’s pause for a moment.
Imagine reading that same article on a Monday morning and then revisiting it on a Friday afternoon. Do you have the same stamina? Is your focus equally sharp? The answer is likely a resounding no. Why? Because as humans, our energy levels ebb and flow. Our mindset shifts. And this variability impacts our productivity.
Consider the recent pandemic era. It revealed an intriguing phenomenon: many employees thrived while working from home. The daily commute vanished, and the need for formal attire faded, as two set examples. Yet, a new the challenge emerged: how do supervisors account for productivity when more hours are logged in front of a computer screen?
Let’s dive deeper. Productivity isn’t a mere sum of hours; it’s a multifaceted concept. Here are some factors that defy easy calculation but significantly influence an employee’s output:
Job requirements: it’s crucial to create job requirements that foster a positive and transparent relationship with new employees. These guidelines ensure alignment, fairness, and a healthy work environment:
- Employers:
• The job expectations should align with employee compensation.
• The job qualifications should not be higher than the job requirements.
• Be as thorough as possible of what is required, either at the job posting, interview process, and/or employee contract. Surprises are not well received by new employees.
• Communicate the company’s commitment to employee growth culture and validate if it aligns with candidate (e.g. candidate may be looking for a supervisory position, and even though the employee will have to supervise other employees, it is not a senior level position).
PRODUCTIVITY ISN’T A MERE SUM OF HOURS; IT’S A MULTIFACETED CONCEPT.
- Employees:
• Use the negotiation phase to discuss expectations, compensation, and benefits.
• As a new employee, embrace the process. Even if you have performed the position with prior employers, the environment, the team members, the systems, the policies and procdures, may be new.
• Familiarize yourself with the company’s approach to professional growth.
Transparency between employers and employees is essential for a successful working relationship. By adhering to these principles, both parties can create a supportive and thriving work environment.
Support environment: actions speak louder than words. Organizations must actively support their employees, by understanding the mental, physical, and job-related challenges faced by the employees, and by prioritizing the employee’s well-being by
offering a work-life balance.
This simple yet powerful gesture can significantly impact happiness and productivity. As a single mother, at one time, an executive, and now as a business owner, I’ve experienced first-hand how crucial work-life balance is. Imagine not having to decide between attending your daughter’s graduation and a work meeting, this is the definition of five-star satisfaction.
Avoiding detrimental scenarios such as struggling to decide between health and work, because the example set by the supervisor is to attend work even if feeling unwell. Providing employees with all necessary resources, tools, and continuous training is essential to achieve productivity. Assigning new tasks to employees without proper training is a recipe for failure, as well as asking an employee to complete a task without the necessary tools.
Physical health: regardless of the job type—whether it involves sitting at a desk or being on your feet—the employee’s stamina plays a crucial role in measuring productivity. Stamina encompasses both physical and mental endurance. When mental health is compromised, physical health often follows suit, with signals such as: headaches, back pain, mobility struggles, or even worse, panic or anxiety attacks.
Supervisors must be aware that your organization provides accommodation to employees that require tools, measures, or a workspace environment fit to that employee. Supervisors are not mind-readers and assumptions can lead to misunderstandings. Employees need to voice their needs. Supervisors, please listen attentively. Sometimes, the simple act of listening can make a significant difference. Communication is key to foster trust that can benefit both employees and organizations.
Mental health: there is a fine line of supervisor-employee relationship, but if the supervisor does not understand or have at least a sense of the employee’s personal struggles, it will be near to impossible to measure their productivity level. Fostering an open-door policy with your team members will encourage trust and honesty.
Creating a healthy work environment can increase the employee’s focus and concentration, achieved not only at the office, but when working remotely. An employee may continuously demonstrate timeliness and effectiveness in their tasks, but having a micro-management environment can generate mistrust and could question competence.
Understanding your team member’s individual strengths and weaknesses can help you in the segregation of tasks, time management, and to individually address their professional development. Not everyone works at the same pace, but as a team, it can be the formula to achieve the company’s goals. Limitations in mental health can hinder an employee’s problem-solving abilities and their capacity to contribute innovative ideas to the team. Consequently, this may impede professional development and slow overall progress. Jumping into a conclusion that an employee is not executing properly because you do not see any contribution to the team, is a mistake.
Gather all the facts, understand all the facts, and evaluate all the facts. Trust is the foundation to achieve this. Promote trust and you will have the answers you need to measure your team’s mental health capacity.
Employers and/or supervisors can only use a mathematical approach to calculate these four factors, but embracing the holistic approach can elevate the analysis process of the organization and the team. There are factors that cannot be measured by numbers, but documenting the holistic approach can support your productivity percentage to identify any gaps, needs, duplicity in your processes, or solutions to the team’s efficiency. In this rapidly changing world, it’s crucial for employers and employees alike to recognize that productivity isn’t solely about output—it’s about sustainable well-being.
As we navigate the complexities of work, let’s remember that we are still humans, with intricate mental and physical needs. Prioritizing mental health, fostering supportive environments, and acknowledging the interplay between mind and body are essential steps toward achieving true productivity.
This focus should extend to the organization’s existing employees, with a specific emphasis on employee retention, rather than relying on the uncertainty associated with hiring new employees. After all, a thriving workforce is one that thrives holistically.
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