There’s been a lot of chatter this week around the decline of staff productivity levels across the UK retail, hospitality and service sectors. We hate being downers, but the stats are hard to ignore:
- Britain is 15% less productive per employee than the average of its EU competitors
- 70% of employers are sluggish adopt available new technology, a key contributor to this slump
- Productivity over the last decade has grown a slim 1.4%
The Times recently published this refreshingly positive post-Brexit article, by Dame Helena Morrissey. The piece championed how now is the opportune moment for businesses to bolster areas where they’re strong, and buckle down on areas where they’re weak. Staff productivity was pinpointed as a national ‘weak’ spot. As Morrissey writes:
‘Productivity weakness is most problematic in retail, hotels and restaurants and in administrative and support services. Productivity as measured by output per hour in these three sectors is 20 per cent, 40 per cent and 45 per cent, respectively, below the national average. Improving the performance of these sectors is just as important as freeing the potential of high-productivity industries.’
It’s time to stop sweeping these productivity figures under the rug. There’s a rising need to find more creative and effective strategies for fostering employee satisfaction. Monetary incentives may do the trick in the short term, but sustainable productivity growth is linked to internal, emotive and non-monetary incentive strategies.
Is there such a thing as motivation soundtrack?
Many businesses are experimenting with environmental and lifestyle employee incentives. These include time-back rewards, wellbeing packages, personal growth opportunities and changes to the workplace environment. Music deserves a place in these conversations too.
We’ve already dug into how music can boost staff productivity levels and save valuable time and resourcing, so you’ll know we’re big advocates for a more thoughtful integration of music in the workplace. It’s hard not to be, given 81% of staff performed better when listening to music!
So how can we begin using music to motivate staff? Here are a few strategies to try:
How else could you use your music to engage employees and boost productivity?
