Monitoring employee productivity is not just about numbers; it’s about empowering your workforce and nurturing their talents for sustainable growth. As leaders or managers, understanding how to track employee productivity to transform your team’s performance and deliver optimal results is crucial, but challenging at times. Therefore, we have come up with 15 proven ways to track employee productivity that can maximise your workforce potential and drive competitive advantages.
Set clear goals and expectations
The first and foremost step in tracking employee productivity is to establish clear and attainable goals at the organisational level. Creating goals helps your team understand what is expected of them and how they can align their efforts toward achieving overall organisational success. You can consider the following methods:
1. Introduce SMART framework
The SMART framework is an ideal approach for setting goals and objectives for teams, individuals, and organisations. This approach indicates that goals should be Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. Implementing SMART goals can help you create a clear roadmap for your team to achieve success and measure progress effectively.
2. Communicate expectations
Effective communication is important to ensure your team understands their goals and expectations. Therefore, once the objective setting is done, clearly communicate to your team what is expected from them in terms of productivity. This will ensure everyone is on the same page and there are no gaps or misunderstanding about their roles, responsibilities, and performance metrics.
3. Monitor progress consistently
Regularly monitoring and reviewing progress can give you insights into how your team is progressing toward achieving goals. You can set up regular check-ins or meeting to discuss progress, address blockers, and identify areas of improvement. This can help you with timely adjustments if needed and ensure that productivity remains on track.
Implement the right productivity tracking tools
Before adopting any tools or software to track employee productivity, you need to understand your requirements because every organisation has different needs. For example, a company that has recently adopted a work-from-home policy may have different needs for tracking employee productivity compared to a company with all in-house employees. So, depending on the requirements, the productivity tracking tools also vary.
4. Time tracking software
Time tracking software provides detailed insights into how employees spend their time on assigned project and where they may need extra support. It allows you to set goals for tasks and projects and track the time spent by each team member on these tasks or projects. Moreover, by integrating time tracking tools in your workflows, you can ensure that the project progresses as planned, you meet deadlines and monitor your team’s productivity.
5. Project management tools
You can use project management tools to collaborate, track the progress of projects, and allocate resources efficiently. These tools are highly effective for tracking employee productivity as they provide a centralised platform for communication, task assignment, and project monitoring. Furthermore, integrating these tools into workflows can provide your organisations with insights into overall work timelines and bottlenecks.
6. Train your employees
Now that you have chosen tools best for tracking employees productivity, it’s time to train your team on how to use them effectively. Providing training and equipping team with resources ensures that they can effectively use productivity tracking tools – be it time tracking software or project management tools. This can maximise the potential of software and improve team’s performance and productivity.
Conduct regular performance reviews
Performance reviews are one of the effective tools to track employee productivity. Managers and leaders use performance reviews to assess their team’s performance, set goals, and provide feedback.
7. Schedule regular reviews
Establishing a consistent schedule for performance reviews, such as quarterly or bi-annual meetings with employees, can help managers or leaders monitor employees’ progress toward goals and address any issues or concerns. This ensures that employees have clarity on their performance expectations and a platform to discuss challenges, seek feedback, and ask for support if needed.
8. Use objective metrics, not subjective opinions
Performance reviews should be based on objective metrics instead of subjective opinions. This approach can eliminate bias or inconsistencies in performance evaluation and provide a fair assessment of employee productivity. Examples of performance metrics include sales targets, project completion rates, or customer satisfaction scores. These metrics offer quantifiable insights into an employee’s performance. Furthermore, they can help you foresee the success path for employees.
9. Provide constructive feedback
Once you’re done with the performance reviews, provide constructive feedback to your employees. This helps them to understand their strength and areas for improvement. Highlighting their achievements and provide actionable suggestions to them can motivate them and enhance their workplace performance.
Encourage employees self-assessment
Encouraging self-assessment allows employees to feel more invested in their work and take ownership of their performance, fostering a culture of accountability and continuous learning. It also provides a self-reflective opportunity for employees to assess their strengths, identify areas for improvement, and set their individual goals.
10. Equip employees with self-assessment tools
Offer employees tools and software that enable them to track their progress and stay aligned with the organisation’s expectations. Some examples of self-assessment tools include productivity journals, goal-setting worksheets, or self-evaluation forms. Incorporating these tools in workplace empower employees to take control of their own productivity and personal development.
11. Adopt data-driven approach
Implementing data-driven self-assessment can provide accurate and quantifiable insights into an employee’s performance, discarding assumptions and subjectivity. It also enables employees to identify areas where they may be going wrong and opportunities for improvement that might not be visible otherwise. Furthermore, if employee self-assessment is combined with objective data, it can assist managers and leaders in obtaining a holistic view of employee productivity.
12. Foster open communication
Creating an environment where employees feel comfortable discussing their work, obstacles and seeking feedback proactively is a prudent approach to tracking employee productivity. Regular check-ins and open-door policies are some of the effective ways to promote open communication and create a culture of transparency within your organisation.
Implement Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) are measurable metrics that demonstrate how effectively an employee is achieving key business objectives. They are essential for tracking progress, driving performance, and improving overall business success.
13. Define relevant KPIs
By defining the right KPIs that align with your organisation’s goals and objectives, you can gain a 360-degree view of employee performance across your team or organisation. Set KPIs that are concrete, measurable, and ambitious but achievable. But remember, depending on the company’s strategic priorities, KPI metrics vary. For example, if you want to define KPIs for the customer support team, KPIs might include average ticket resolution time, average response time, and customer satisfaction score. Similarly, KPIs for the financial department’s might include total revenue, net profit, profit margin, revenue growth.
14. Communicate KPIs with your team
Once you define your team’s KPIs, the next step is to communicate them to your team members. They will not only gain clarity on how their performance will be evaluated but also align their work with their company’s objectives. Ensure that your employees understand the importance of each KPI and how does it contribute to the overall success of the organisation.
15. Review KPIs and tie them with regards and recognition
Based on changing goals and priorities, it’s crucial to regularly monitor and adjust your teams’ KPIs. Furthermore, employees who consistently meet or exceed their KPIs should be recognised and rewarded. This not only boost employee motivation and productivity but also creates a positive cycle where employees strive to achieve more, resulting in improved overall organisational performance.
So, why wait?
Tracking productivity is important for any company looking to drive growth and achieve competitive advantages. By implementing the 15 proven ways mentioned above, you can effectively track employee productivity at both the individual and team levels. But here’s a catch – tracking employee productivity is not about micromanaging or creating pressure; it’s about empowering employees to reach their full potential and drive success for the organisation. In this way, you can foster a culture of productivity that promotes growth and success for modern businesses.
Read “10 tips to improve workplace productivity” and prepare yourselves to achieve the highest level of productivity and competitive advantages.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Do employee tracking devices improve employee work productivity?
Yes, employee tracking devices can improve productivity when used effectively. They provide insights into time management and workflow efficiency, enabling managers to identify areas for improvement. However, it should not be necessary to relied upon to improve productivity. It’s important to consider other factors also, such as company’s culture, work-life balance, and employee engagement. Therefore, while these devices may have benefits, they are not a guaranteed solution for improving employee productivity on their own.
How to track productivity of an employee working from home?
Tracking the productivity of employees working from home can be done through various methods, such as using time tracking software, project management tools, and regular check-ins. Apart from this, it’s also important to establish clear goals and expectations for remote work and communicate them effectively to ensure everyone is on the same page. Ensure to have open lines of communication and trust between managers and remote team members for optimal results.
What is the best software to track employee productivity?
The best software to track employee productivity depends on the specific needs and goals of your organisation. At OneAdvanced, we offer a comprehensive suite of people management software portfolio including, time tracking software, project management tools, and performance evaluation software that can help you to track employee productivity and keep you updated with your employees’ performance. However, before implementing any software, it’s important to analyse your organisation’s requirements.