Want To Squeeze More Out Of Your People Without Burning Them Out? Try This

Businesses would love to hire just a handful of people and make massive profits. But, due to the reality of modern businesses, that’s rarely the case. You often need huge numbers of staff to do the work to provide your customers with the products and services that they want. 

The question therefore, is how to squeeze more value out of your team. You could get them to work overtime or put more pressure on them to meet deadlines. But, eventually, those tactics will burn them out and people will start leaving - not what you want. 

So what’s a company executive to do? 

Check out these ideas. 

Get Them More Active At Lunch Time

Some of your workers will sit around all day in front of their computers, worrying about their work. They might stay in their chair for upwards of ten hours a day - which is no way for a human being to live. 

The solution is to get your people more active at lunch time under the auspices of a wellness program. It turns out that when people move their bodies more, their productivity goes up, they have better ideas, and they get more done. It means the end of so-called “working lunches.” But it also allows people to reach their productivity potential. 

The human body isn’t meant to sit down all day, sweating over the same problem. It’s supposed to move and be active. So breaking up the day between periods of work and movement can actually enhance how much gets done, even if total working time is less.

Change The Food In Your Canteen

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The same set of principles applies to the food in your canteen. Many companies just get a catering company to provide workers with cheap, tasty food that they can buy for pennies. 

But, again, this approach is a false economy. While workers might appreciate the low prices, eventually the food will begin to take its toll on their bodies. And, after a while, it’ll start eating into their productivity. 

The problem with a lot of modern food is how it affects the metabolism. When workers eat something sugary or fatty, it puts their bodies in a restful state. So in the afternoons, they find it progressively difficult to concentrate on their work. Some may even find themselves dozing off. 

If you replace the food, however, with healthy, slow-burning alternatives, then something completely different happens. People remain alert and can be just as productive in the afternoon as they are in the morning. Furthermore, they are less likely to get sick in the long run, again cutting your costs. 

Start Mentoring

PushFar's mentoring platform is a good example of how far things have come in terms of business and mentoring. It’s now possible to connect people across vast distances and disciplines in a way that it never was before. 

Mentoring, though, is a critical tool for developing employees and increasing their productive capacity. Mentors are usually people who have “been there, done that.” And this means that they are in a wonderful position to give guidance to employees.

Coming up with a mentoring plan is also relatively easy, once you know how. Usually, it requires simply connecting more senior people in your industry with your junior staff and finding personalities that work well together. 

Mentoring is so beneficial because it allows employees to begin solving problems quickly, without waiting for months to come up with solutions themselves. Mentors can steer them in the right direction, help them process job stress, and get more done. 

Train Them 

You can also train your employees so that they have new skills that allow them to do their work more efficiently. Training, like mentoring, provides insights that your colleagues can deploy when the situation demands it. 

Be Positive

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Stress is a real productivity killer and the primary cause of burnout. When employees are working in a state of tension, they are constantly second-guessing themselves, trying to figure out if they’re taking the right approach. Furthermore, stress hormones in their bodies stop their brands from functioning at maximum capacity, slowing them down even more and robbing them of their creativity. 

As a boss, therefore, being chirpy and happy can really motivate your team. They feel less fearful while they work and more able to put their best ideas down on paper. 

You can also be positive in other ways. For instance, you can try to foster an entrepreneurial mindset in your employees. Get them to realize that they have the power to solve problems themselves and don’t have to wait for other people to do it for them. 

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