Efficiency vs productivity: how to maximise the output of streamlined teams

By Julie Lock, commercial director at Mitrefinch

With the furlough scheme heading towards its conclusion over the coming weeks, the words ‘redundancy’ and ‘company restructure’ are sadly going to be commonplace across various industry sectors and regions of the UK.

Of course, the biggest challenges will fall to those that have lost their jobs, but another obstacle lies for those that are ‘left behind’; remaining within organisations that have lost colleagues and support staff. In addition to the emotional turmoil, questions remain around how reduced teams will be able to produce the output of work delivered pre-pandemic especially with significant workplace anxiety on the rise as it is.

For managers, the next few weeks could be pivotal to the short and long term success of their teams in terms in productivity as well staff satisfaction and retention. While companies might feel that choosing to hold on to certain members of staff is enough to recognise their value, it’s integral that moving forwards managers set clear and fair expectations to their teams that following the pandemic are likely to be operating at increased capacity.

Setting fair and attainable benchmarks

When done correctly, goal setting remains one of the most effective ways to maximise motivation amongst teams and setting these effectively over the coming weeks will be critical to understanding expectations and outcomes for both staff and management.

However, it is important that objectives are agreed amongst all parties before being put into action to ensure expectations are fair and realistic. For example, a team that’s had its headcount cut by 50% is unlikely to achieve the same level of overall productivity pre-pandemic, however there’s no reason it couldn’t be more than 50% with the correct strategy, tools and collaboration.

Pressure – while effective for some – also needs to be used carefully over the next few weeks. It’s no secret that many are struggling with some degree of anxiety as a result of the pandemic and for those returning to work it’s important this isn’t exacerbated further in the workplace.

Communicate effectively

Whether your full team is back in the office, all working remotely or a combination of the two, ensuring everyone is on the same page through effective communication is critical. There still remains so much uncertainty across different industries and surrounding Covid-19 in general that businesses cannot afford to not update staff as regularly as possible.

One of the main reasons cited amongst staff for messages getting missed is due to the fact they hadn’t seen it in their emails, on the company intranet or instant messenger etc. and this is why streamlining the software or overall means of communication can be an effective way to ensuring all staff don’t miss any updates.

The easiest way to do this is to agree with your team on the core methods of comms and ensure everyone sticks to this for core business discussions. At a time where you have the added barrier of not being in the same physical location, using one programme alone mitigates the risk of messages getting lost, and for emergency updates that may come out of hours, there remains a place for communication via SMS where 90% of messages are read within three minutes of being sent.

Collaboration is key

For those that are fortunate enough to keep their positions following rounds of redundancies and may still be working from home, work might feel like a bit of a lonely place right now. Collaboration, in whatever form is possible, will be instrumental to ensuring staff feel valued and remain motivated in the final months of 2020.

During challenging periods of the week, where stresses could normally be offset through a chat or conversation with a colleague in the offices, it’s important to ensure that staff talk to one another throughout the days to remind each other we’re all in this together.

Don’t let remote working limit your ability to collaborate – encourage your team to reach out to each other through conference calls or video chats. It’s often a good idea for management to instigate such collaborative sessions from the outset to get the ball rolling, then contact employees on a regular basis to ensure that they are still taking place.

For those who have been working throughout the pandemic this should no longer be a concern but for those returning from furlough you must ensure staff have easy remote access to any data and documents that they may need and that adequate security measures are in place to mitigate the risk of breaches. Ensure that some form of file-sharing system is in place and accessible to everyone before the remote working period begins – this is where brands should utilise cloud-based hosting where possible.

Identify and provide progression opportunities

Despite the ongoing challenges surrounding the economy and for many businesses, it is vital that personal development and career opportunities are not stunted as a result of the pandemic. While goal setting can help with this, it’s also crucial that realistic progression pathways are put in place for all members of staff.

These could be in the form of quarterly or annual objectives that encourage staff to develop their skill sets to allow them to progress their careers and ensure they feel as though they are still learning and developing even if this means that salary increases or promotions are out of the question at the moment.

However, regardless of the situation regarding pay rises or more official progression opportunities, it’s crucial that staff are kept in the loop with these conversations taking place at a higher level. While it’s likely that the general trend amongst businesses right now will be to maintain and stay afloat, there are still high growth businesses looking for the best talent so companies cannot afford to be complacent and assume staff will stick around.