How Managers Can Raise Productivity in the New Year

by: Madison Hughes, Acclivity Healthcare

Now that the festivities are over and the tinsel packed up, many of us are returning to work relaxed and replenished after the holiday vacation. The extended time off from work, however, can make it difficult for some employees to transition back into their daily tasks and remain efficient for the duration of each work week. With that being said, now is a good time to reinforce productivity and motivation among your employees. Here are a few tips to get your team to hit the ground running this New Year:

1. Touch base right away: Block out some time to schedule both one-on-one and group staff meetings shortly after the New Year to review, revisit and revise your team’s priorities.
2. Help prioritize: While it is always ideal to start the New Year full speed ahead, not all employees will settle back into their daily work routine the first day, or even week, back in the office. If necessary, encourage them to break their workload into small, manageable pieces until they have time to get caught up on all of their tasks.
3. Set milestones: Review last year’s goals and create a detailed plan for the upcoming year. Help your team understand the importance of achieving these milestones both individually and as a team.
4. Monitor progress: Keeping an eye on your team’s progress will allow you to gauge how you can improve their productivity individually and as a collective group. You will be able to assess who has extra time throughout the day and is able to take on more work and identify employees who may need additional guidance.
5. Implement a weekly debrief: Instead of assuming that everything in your department is running smoothly, take 15-30 minutes towards the end of each week to review what your team has accomplished, what is on tap for the upcoming week and which tasks need more attention.
6. Encourage feedback and questions: This is a great way to gain an understanding of how your employees are feeling about coming back to the work piled on their desks after so much time away from the office. Are they overwhelmed? Do they need suggestions on where to start? This will help give them a jump start to get them on the right track, and allow both you and your employees to increase productivity.

By following these simple guidelines and instilling the practices above, you, as a manager, will be able to give ample assistance to your employees and ensure they are working as efficiently as possible in the beginning of the fiscal year. Finally, having this type of defined, well thought out game plan will allow you to gain a greater understanding of your team’s progress and goals, as well as give you a firm idea of how to properly manage your own time and delegate responsibilities as necessary.