The 7 drivers of workplace productivity
The Workplace Productivity Agenda focuses on seven complementary key drivers, based on the concept that changes in workplace practices in one area will generally reinforce changes in another. The Workplace Productivity Agenda breaks workplace operations into seven drivers. These are considered important areas for workplaces to focus on in order to improve their performance and productivity. The drivers were highlighted by a working group of businesses and union representatives along with academics and government in the Workplace Productivity challenge report, the drivers provide a checklist for workplaces to see where they could improve their operations, and the snapshot tool is a quick way to see how your workplace stands against the drivers. The drivers emphasise the need to align everyone in the workplace towards better performance, and are about working smarter not harder.
There is no one-size-fits all solution to improving workplace productivity but these drivers are a start for anyone looking to improving their workplace productivity.
Get more productive
No matter what your business does, or how big or small it is, there are a range of ways you can improve its productivity.
There are also case studies about businesses that have improved their workplace productivity and FAQs about Workplace Productivity.
The following productivity drivers give an overview of the types of changes you can make to get your workplace more productive.
Building leadership and management capability - Effective leadership is about having a clear vision of where your business is heading. It's about identifying new opportunities and inspiring your team to pursue those opportunities. Leadership is required from individuals and from teams.
Creating productive workplace cultures - Positive relationships between staff, teams and managers are a feature of productive workplaces. A positive work environment motivates people and helps them commit to the organisation. People feel encouraged to 'go the extra mile'.
It's also important to value people's insights and experience. Their ideas can help your workplace to do things smarter and better. That means your organisation will become more innovative and productive over time.
Encouraging Innovation and the use of technology - Innovation is a key part of raising workplace productivity. Productive workplaces are innovative in the way they use technology, and plan and organise themselves. They generally employ more highly-skilled and highly-paid workers and through innovation they increase their market share.
Investing in people and skills - The more skills your staff have, the more innovative they can be. They will also be more capable with new technology. Skilled workers can also work more quickly with fewer mistakes. They generally require less supervision, accept more responsibility and are better communicators. Training leads to higher skills and wages and lower staff turnover.
Organising work - Productive workplaces have structures and processes that enable them to adapt and grow as products, technology and markets change. A well-organised workplace is able to get the best out its staff and technology.
Networking and collaboration - You can improve your workplace productivity by exchanging ideas and information with others in your industry. Collaborating with others can reduce the cost of doing business and give you access to new ideas and new technologies.
Measuring what matters - It is really important to assess the value of any investment you make in improving your workplace productivity. This helps you understand the things that make the biggest difference. For example, is it the size of your organisation’s structure, the skill levels of your staff, the size of your market or some other factor?
