Employee and workplace productivity go hand in hand. They are fundamental for the well-being and success of your business. The majority of us spend a third of their waking life in the workplace, while some even stay longer. But longer work hours don't always translate into better productivity. If things become strained or there is a crisis going on, operations can stop completely. You need to learn how to manage your employees in a smarter, not harder way.

Although we like to think we’re isolated islands in the sea of social interaction, such opinion couldn’t be more fallible. When we spend time in the office with fellow employees, everyone affects each other’s mood and emotions.

Motivated employees work harder, better and help create a positive work environment while demoralized ones stall, affect others negatively and generally have destructive tendencies.

We’re about to teach you how to avoid this and turn weak performers into productivity powerhouses. Here are some ways to motivate your workers and to increase their production and efficiency rates.

Means of production

Although employees' education and skills are important for a company's performance, the tools they utilize during work also have a big impact. You need to equip them with the right tools, or in this case, the right software. Your employees will work better while everything will convert into a streamlined process.

Start with time tracking apps. The work day is short while there is a never-ending list of tasks to complete. This is where time tracking apps jump in, as they make it simple to track your workers’ hours and efficiency with activity rates. And your company ends up with improved productivity. You can assign to your workers' particular tasks and projects so they understand what needs to be completed and until when.

Next are communication apps. Whether you have remote employees or everyone works in the same office, communication apps increase productivity. Instant messaging apps are way better than emails since they keep conversations organized while messages are simple to track. Many communication apps also offer file access and sharing as well, enabling a streamlined workflow.

Collaboration tools, on the other hand, promote and deepen teamwork. Everyone working together in real-time builds team chemistry, while ideas flow more easily. Basecamp is one of the more popular platforms today, while Google Drive offers file storage and access.

Improve worker satisfaction with great perks

International companies like Facebook and Google are already using this principle and deeply understand the foundations of work satisfaction. And when such tech giants are implementing such ideas, be sure to follow. They are famous for their work perks like massage rooms, haircuts, nap pods and work gyms.

For example, offer your employees Kindles, business books or free access to a local library. Give them employee income cards that enable your employees' quick access to their money – being financially safe will turn your workers into a motivated and productive workforce. Let them have more free days and subsidize gym memberships for them.

Raises can only do so much, too much of them create diminishing returns, while perks can complement them efficiently. And you don’t have to be a tech giant to provide your employees with work perks that inspire loyalty and increase motivation.

Encourage employees’ self-care

When your employees take care of their health, their long-term productivity increases. To much work increases stress. And while some of us work better under pressure, most of us get crippled by it. Occupational stress and fears are even more dangerous than normal stress.

Although present at work every day, overly stressed workers are unhealthier, both on the physical and mental plane. That ends in worse productivity. But you can manage your workers’ stress levels; the goal is to prepare for burnout beforehand.

Encourage your employees on every level to take care of their emotional, physical and mental equilibrium. Create a healthy and communicative company culture. Offer your employees constructive feedback and listen when they have issues to tackle. Work should be meaningful but challenging. The parameters for goal completion need to be clearly established.

Keep their equipment up to date too. You yourself also need to stick to the same values you try to express to your employees. Sleep enough and on time, balance social life and workload, and take time to properly train and relax.

Although some of these ways may appear counter-intuitive at first, it has been proven through time that inspired, satisfied and engaged employees are more efficient. There is no need to invest thousands of dollars in high-end perks to create this though. Just imagine what it’s like to be in your worker's shoes and find ways to improve your company's culture. Work productivity levels will rise and your company will be that much more thankful and successful.