Workplace productivity is a key focus for many managers. Productive workers and processes support a strong and healthy business, while inefficient processes can delay schedules and result in unhappy customers, and even unhappy employees.
So, how can facility managers support productivity and efficiency at their workplace? Here are three good areas of focus:
1. Highlight the importance of safety
No facility manager wants to see their employees experience an accident. Unfortunately, workplace injuries happen. Taking a close look at the safety culture in your workplace, identifying gaps and implementing safety-related initiatives can go a long way toward improving productivity and preventing accidents.
One study from Plant Engineering magazine found that 83 percent of senior management and operations personnel saw increased productivity and reduced insurance claims and injury costs after implementing a safety program.
2. Promote health and hygiene
Along those same lines, health and hygiene play a big role in how workers perform their job duties. In 2017 alone, there were 2.8 million nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses reported by private employers, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The good news is that this number was 45,800 fewer compared to 2016.
A survey from Tork, which manufactures paper towels and other cleaning supplies, showed that 94 percent of manufacturing employees said hygienic, healthy and risk-free work environments impact their happiness, and 57 percent said it affects productivity.
3. Supply effective equipment
Your employees can only work as fast as their equipment they use allows. If you have slow-moving assets or machines that are prone to failure, your workers simply won't be able to move at an efficient pace.
There are numerous ways in which ineffective equipment can slow things down. The wrong type of door can cause small delays that add up to significant time lost, for example. Investing in high-speed doors may save several seconds each hour – it may not seem like a lot, but over the course of a week, you'll save your employees many minutes of waiting.
Any piece of equipment that's not functioning properly will also lead to delays. Whether it's a matter of waiting for the asset to perform an action, or employees having become accustomed to workarounds when using the deteriorating machine, these instances will not only slow down production, but could potentially lead to dangerous situations. For example, a loading dock leveler that doesn't deploy correctly could:
- Take longer to put in place.
- Cause workers to manually deploy it, which can lead to serious hand or finger injuries.
Whenever you have inefficient equipment – because it's simply the wrong model for your operation, or its age prevents it from working correctly – replacing it with reliable assets can greatly improve productivity at your facility. Reach out to Miner for expert advice on how to improve your equipment portfolio for the good of your company.