How Do You Maximize Productivity in a Slumping Economy?

As the recession continues, employers and employees can't help but wonder how long it will last and in what new ways they'll be affected. Budgets are continually reviewed. Belts are continually tightened. Some workers start worrying about losing their jobs, while others might already be thinking about leaving.

Whether you are in the midst of hiring freezes, layoffs or new additions to your staff, you need to ensure your company continues to be as productive as possible. Here are some ideas for keeping employees motivated, maximizing their performance and staying ahead of the game.

Before deciding who to keep or let go, determine the strengths and motivations of your current employees. Caliper's founder and CEO, Herb Greenberg, shares, "The unfortunate truth is nearly half the people currently employed should be doing something else." Oftentimes, this is because employers and employees are unaware of their natural tendencies and may not have the personality attributes to succeed in certain positions. If you have never had your employees take in-depth personality assessments, or if it's been quite some time since you reviewed the results of those taken awhile back, now is a great time to check them out. You can gain real insights into how someone would perform in a new role, how some slight changes in the way someone is managed could drastically improve performance, or learn why someone may suddenly be struggling after an organizational change.

For example, if you have a sales person who had been doing very well servicing and up selling existing accounts, but due to changes in the economy now needs to do a great deal of cold calling and new business development, you may see that individual's productivity—and motivation—drop drastically. Understanding what natural talents help someone succeed in one position, while understanding the issues that cause them to struggle in another, provides a great blue print for the types of roles that would benefit both the individual and the organization. The bottom line is when you can pinpoint a person's abilities, motivations and growth opportunities, you can increase opportunities for each individual to contribute to the organization.

Once you know the strengths and motivations of your staff, offer training and education to help them fully develop their talents. By doing so, your employees can then use their skills to contribute to your organization in ways that are meaningful to both them and the company.

Bob Bentson, owner of Allen C. Bentson Agency, Inc. in Staten Island, N.Y. believes that determining an employee's future potential can have a strong, positive impact on a company's overall productivity. "Assessments have enabled our agency to work with staff members and match individuals to the best possible positions based on their strengths," he explains. "Placing people in the right positions according to their motivations enables them to enjoy what they're doing and enhances their work results. It makes workers happy and maximizes company performance."

In a volatile economy, you not only need to make certain your organization is made up of strong individual contributors, but that those people also work together productively.

As you observe the teams in your organization, try to identify what makes them effective. What does everyone bring to the table? Does each member understand his or her role on the team-as well as the roles and strengths of others? Is everyone generally idea oriented? Does the team leader keep the group on track? Or if they aren't as efficient as they could be, find out what's holding them back.

When you have insights into the dynamics of a team—and of each individual member—you are able to open lines of communication, understand how to overcome differences, and ensure that the people on the team complement each other. With the right group in place, the results are extremely rewarding—including strengthened relationships and improved overall performance.

For nearly half a century, Caliper has been helping companies achieve peak performance by advising them on hiring the right people, managing individuals most effectively and developing productive teams. The accuracy, objectivity and depth of our consulting approach enable us to provide solutions that work for over 25,000 companies.

To find out more about how Caliper can help you identify and develop people who can lead your organization to peak performance, please visit us at www.caliperonline.com, write us at information@calipercorp.com, or call us at 609-524-1200.