Repetitive work can be really tough on employees mentally and physically, so it’s very important to keep teams motivated and engaged in this type of working environment in order to keep productivity at its peak. Here are some tips from music licensing company PPL PRS to help ensure your employees and team members feel fully engaged with their work and valued as an individual.
Enhance their environment
Simple changes like playing music in the workplace could make a huge difference to employees, improving productivity, focus, and morale. Having upbeat music that fits in with the pace of the repetitive tasks can make it more fun – the BBC’s famous Music While You Work radio programmes that debuted in 1940 were, in fact, designed to help wartime factory workers become more productive by playing uninterrupted popular music. Another way to enhance the working environment is to make sure it’s well lit, clean, and safe. This not only keeps you compliant but also shows your staff that you care about their well-being and safety.
Make it fun
If it’s appropriate and possible, can you add an element of gamification to their work? Instigating targets and challenging teams to compete against each other in a light-hearted way can promote a little friendly rivalry and see results skyrocket. Consider reward schemes like ’employee of the month’ and recognise the success and achievements of team members who go above and beyond. This creates positive reinforcement and motivates the rest of the team, as well as showing there is another sense of purpose to their roles.
Give some context
Being on a production line can seem like you’re in a bit of a bubble with little context or knowledge about the rest of the business and how your work fits in. As an employer, make an effort to communicate more about the bigger picture and the goals and aims of the business. This can be as simple as a note on a bulletin board or a monthly mini-meeting where you address everyone on the production floor and give some key updates. This will help team members feel like they’re part of something larger and create more of a sense of purpose.
Encourage downtime
Repetitive work can be physically and mentally draining, so prioritising breaks for your employees is really important. Having a clear schedule for breaks helps as this will keep the system fair. If possible, try to make sure there is a comfortable and welcoming space for employees to use at break time to relax and recharge. Giving staff a chance to completely take their minds off their work for a period in the day really helps with their focus for the rest of their shift. Consider having charging points available for phones, comfy seating, and even video games to help staff unwind.
Space
Creating space for collaborative work, as well as having private rooms for meetings, is important in an office environment. Increasing opportunities for creative collaborations will enable employees to spark ideas together and encourage interaction.
Keep your office space tidy and uncluttered, as organisation throughout the business will encourage individuals to do the same, which can increase productivity – tidy desk, tidy mind!
Creating an isolated area in the office where people can relax, ideally with a different tempo of music, enables them to take a quick break and refrain from sitting at their desks all day. This change of environment gives the brain and body a rest that can boost creative innovation and productivity once staff are back to work.
Investing in the overall ambience of your office and creating workspaces that are light, bright, comfortable, and inspiring will improve the overall mood, health, and happiness of employees, thus motivating them to become more productive and creative on the whole.
