Techniques to Improve On-Site Workforce Productivity

High workplace productivity is something that every employer strives for—but this is especially the case for those working in the industrial and maintenance fields. After all, clients aren’t the only ones counting on you when you show up to a jobsite. An entire neighborhood depends on your services when their cellphone signals have gone out or their electricity isn’t working. As such, when these employees fail to meet the day’s goals, it not only sets back the work for tomorrow, but it also leaves an entire neighborhood helpless. So if you’re looking to get more done each workday, try these management techniques to improve on-site workforce productivity.

Stay Informed on Current Productivity Levels

To effectively improve the productivity of your workforce, be aware of how much work your employees currently do and where they’re falling short. This might involve tracking hours, monitoring deadlines, and observing their overall performances while on the job. By taking the time to gather this information, you’ll gain the ability to see where your processes can be streamlined to increase overall efficiency. Then you can use this information to make the appropriate changes and ensure that all parties have the tools they need to succeed in the workplace.

Foster Clearer Communication

Communication is key in any type of job, but it’s particularly important in physically intensive industries, as a case of miscommunication can lead to an otherwise avoidable accident. Therefore, for your workers to do well and increase the pace that they work, they’ll need to have a clear understanding of what you expect from them. Whether you want to set aside meeting times to work on collective communication skills or by making public announcements, these actions keep everyone informed and reduce the likelihood of confusion. Be sure to remember as well that the process of improving your team communications doesn’t always just involve you talking and them listening. Sometimes you’ll learn more about how a problem can be fixed by listening to your employees’ input and considering their opinions. Making your employees feel heard is also a wonderful way to increase worker morale and ensure that they’re getting the proper resources.

Set Realistic Goals and Expectations

Another technique for improving on-site workforce productivity is to ensure that your goals and expectations for your workers are achievable. Even if you’re successful at communicating your expectations to your employees, morale will still fall if those goals are unrealistic. Workers want to feel as though they are being challenged, while still being able to achieve the desired result if they put in the work. By setting smaller goals for each day, you’re still giving your employees the push they need to work hard without making them feel as though you’re setting them up for failure. When developing these goals, you need to ensure that they accurately align with the difficulty of the tasks being performed that day. This will help you adjust your expectations to be more realistic and accurate with that specific job.

Prioritize Workplace Safety

If your employees can’t feel safe in their work environment, it’s more difficult for them to perform their roles comfortably and reliably. This is because they’ll be spending all their time navigating the many jobsite hazards rather than focusing on the job they need to complete. As such, it’s your job as their employer to do all that you can to minimize their risks and adhere to established safety practices. Fortunately, OSHA already has these standards for you to review and implement. Depending on the jobsite, this may include installing guardrails on high platforms, supplying workers with the right equipment, and ensuring they understand the importance of fall protection. Make sure that you’re also taking the time to educate your employees on these official safety guidelines so they’re always conscious of the dangers and how to respond to them.

Encourage Employees to Use Their Breaks

You should also be showing your workers that you care by encouraging them to take their breaks and, by extension, take care of their health. With a career as taxing as those in the tower maintenance and electrical fields, each worker must take proper care of themselves. This includes getting the appropriate amount of rest, eating right, and getting enough exercise to keep themselves in peak performance condition. You can help with this by educating them about the dangers of pushing themselves too hard and how their physical health is an asset to the company. You could also provide your workers with additional educational materials on how to eat a balanced diet, the importance of stretching, and why they should always utilize their break time.

Implement Better Training Practices

Just like you wouldn’t have a new hire speak to a client right away, you shouldn’t have an untrained tower climber do an official job on their first climb. This is the surest way to get someone hurt and the job itself performed slowly and incorrectly. Before they can work to their fullest capabilities, you’ll need to establish a specific training regimen for their role and provide them with the information to do their job correctly. Though training will initially cost you money, it’s worth it in the long run as you’ll acquire more skilled, more confident workers. This confidence will then help them increase their efficiency throughout the day and raise their overall productivity on a jobsite.

Maintain a Stock of Quality Equipment

In addition to knowledge, your workers also need effective and quality tools to get the job done right. Therefore, you’ll also need to take the steps to ensure that you always have enough equipment for the team—and that everything is in the proper condition to use. Doing so will not just save your workers time but will help keep them safe if something unexpected occurs. Some pieces you should always have available include power tools, fall protection harnesses and accessories, and vertical lifelines equipped with rope grabs. Make sure that you’re also replacing them when they begin to deteriorate to further protect the safety of your workers.

Having the best equipment as a professional tower climber or lineman is a key part of making the most of each workday. That’s why at Midwest Unlimited we seek to provide you with everything you could potentially need as you go about your daily duties. From tower climbing safety harnesses to vertical lifelines and work positioning equipment, our supplies can streamline the entire process and make you efficient as well as safe.