Employee retention and productivity seem to be the most used words in the past few years. Organizations are ready to go all the way to keep their employees engaged and decrease the cost of replacing a worker. On the other side of the medal, employees are eager to find ways to work less and achieve more and boost their productivity levels to the maximum. HR managers have a tough task to do: to combine a company’s interest with employees’ wishes in a way that’s most beneficial to all. That’s why we decided to share with you the most effective HR productivity tips for you and your organization.

Number 1 HR productivity hack: Offer incentives

Nothing boosts productivity more than employers showing how much they care for their workers. When we say “incentives” we usually think “expensive”, but this doesn’t have to be the case. Offering remote work, flexitime, etc. cost little, but results in a greater profit. When offered perks, employees feel valued and they are, by default, more responsible for their job. Simply, they don’t want to fail their employer who enabled them to work freely. Additionally, if an organization decides to offer flexi-time or remote work, the chances are sick leave abuse will be decreased too. This is a win-win situation where employees don’t have to feel guilty anymore for lying to their employers and they can plan their staffing and workload properly.

This is the HR productivity tip that works for the top hires

We always want the best for ourselves. We struggle to buy the best iPhone, rent the best flat in the area, or find the best deal for our next vacation. That’s why we shouldn’t be surprised by the fact that most employers want the best talent working in their company. By offering courses, seminars, and chances for advancement to their employees, employers are buying a one-way ticket to retaining the best talent. And, consequently, it comes with a boost in productivity and profit.

Don’t underestimate the power of feedback

This goes without saying: if you want something to work properly, you have to communicate your plans, expectations, and goals. Employers shouldn’t expect their employees to know how to read minds, because, after all, they hired just humans. Giving regular updates on employees’ progress and listening to what they have to say will boost their morale and productivity and make an organization run smoother.

HR productivity many will love is to be flexible

The truth is: nobody is the same. What’s more important: nobody works the same. Our productivity levels reach their peak and minimum throughout the day. We can sometimes feel most productive during evening hours, whereas the same thing can happen sometimes in the morning. You cannot hack productivity. That’s why deciding to be flexible and offering employees to work when they feel most productive is the key to a job well done.

Keep your employees accountable

We could say that employees run from micromanagers like vampires from the daylight. And they’re right! Nobody likes to be constantly supervised. The point is, if employers had enough courage to trust and hire employees, they shouldn’t watch their every step now. Micromanagement is simply a productivity turn-off, If you’re an HR, make sure your organization assigns tasks to their employees and trusts them to have them completed without having to supervise them constantly.

Make sure your employees are healthy

Some organizations offer free gym memberships to their employees. And they’re right to do so. When we work out we’re pumping more blood through our body. This means that more oxygen is pumped into our brains making us more alert. Exercising before work can make us even more productive and we should use this opportunity to make the best decisions for our minds and body.

HR productivity hack is in tech gadgets

Offering tools and gadgets to employees will increase productivity in no time. Enabling access to the right tool will prevent employees from spending time on time-consuming and unnecessary mundane tasks. There’s a whole bunch of all kinds of software for everyday use in any thinkable niche. If an organization wants to boost productivity in the workplace, considering investing in those kinds of tools might be a help. 

Let them rest

Some employers don’t think in advance and let their employees overwork. They think they will get most jobs done like that failing to realize they are only hurting their business. Not to mention employees who will most certainly head for burnout. 

Tracking employees’ leave becomes the most important task if we want to secure our productivity level is in check. Vacations are good for us because we’re able to get some perspective on things and come back to work with more energy than ever.

However, tracking employee leave is not as easy as we think it is. This can become a pretty tedious and time-consuming task for every HR manager. Luckily, there are tools on the market that can help them turn the most dreaded task into a five-minute deal.

Take Vacation Tracker for instance. This Slack integration made tracking time off seamlessly easy. With it, employees can send requests by typing /vacation into their Slack chat, following a few simple steps, and waiting for the request approval. Once they do it, their managers will be able to immediately approve or deny the request.

Vacation Tracker made life easier for so many organizations with different leave types. Even though the default leave type is Vacations and Days Off organizations can choose among nine other leave types including sick days, jury duty, parental leave, and many more.

For startups who have multiple offices, or want to track leave separately for different teams, Vacation Tracker offers the possibility of setting multiple admins. And you know what’s best? Organizations don’t have to pay to try it out. They just need to sign up for the first free 14-day trial.

Ana Mladenovic

A cat enthusiast and a cupcake maniac, Ana is a freelance Content Writer passionate about HR, productivity, and team management topics. When she’s not at her keyboard, you can find Ana in the kitchen, trying to make delicious cookies.