Research from productivity platform, ClickUp, has found that the right technology, open communication and inclusive cultures are major factors in driving higher productivity.
Conducted by Sapio Research on behalf of ClickUp, the study ranked UK businesses across a number of productivity indicators, finding significant differences between those that ranked highest and lowest, including:
• Open channels of communication – are found in 91 per cent of high-productivity businesses and only 8 per cent of low-productivity organisations
• High levels of team cohesion – are found in 94 per cent of high-productivity businesses and only 13 per cent of low-productivity organisations.
• Employees provided with the right technology – reported by 88 per cent of people in high-productivity businesses, dropping to 48 per cent in low-productivity organisations.
• Greater employee wellbeing – a correlation between high productivity and better job satisfaction, work-life balance, and higher motivation.
The research revealed that providing employees with the right technology and resources, and ensuring they have enough training, are two of the most important things that businesses can do to improve productivity.
The study showed that a majority (88 per cent) of people who work in more highly productive businesses believe they are provided with the right technology and resources to do their jobs, compared to only 48 per cent of people in low-productivity organisations. Similarly, 84 per cent of people in high-productivity businesses said they receive enough training to help them with their role, which drops to only 42 per cent in low-productivity businesses.
In addition, the research identified a strong relationship between productivity measurement being adopted more often in highly productive organisations. The most popular productivity measurement techniques in these organisations are based on tracking employee time, used by 44 per cent of high-productivity organisations, task progress and completion (36 per cent), and performance against set objectives or deliverables (28 per cent).
The research set out to identify what makes an organisation and its employees more productive, so that businesses can take practical steps to get more output from the same levels of input. When the UK’s most productive businesses were asked about ways of working, almost all (94 per cent) cited high levels of team cohesion compared to only 13 per cent in low-productivity businesses – emphasising the importance of a strong and inclusive culture.
Another key area is having open channels of communication, found in 91 per cent of high-productivity businesses. The importance of this is further underscored by the fact it is only present in 8 per cent of low-productivity organisations, representing the biggest gap between low and high productivity businesses out of all the metrics tracked in the ClickUp study.
The study found that almost half (46 per cent) of employees at the most productive businesses rarely have to work overtime, which drops to 13 per cent at low-productivity organisations. This indicates that the more effective approach to technology, training and culture identified in highly productive businesses enables employees to complete tasks in the required time.
Natasha Wallace, International People Operations Partner, at ClickUp commented: “Now more than ever businesses are feeling the pressure to squeeze as much productivity as they possibly can out of their employees. Improving productivity is not about increasing the demands upon people – it is about setting them up for success and empowering them to do their jobs as effectively as possible, by providing the right technology and fostering an inclusive culture.”
