Looking for innovative ways to increase enterprise productivity? For executives at enterprise organizations, this is often a daunting task. How do you stay ahead of productivity trends when you have dozens or hundreds of teams — and thousands of employees — to manage?
Keep reading for the answer.
What is enterprise productivity?
Enterprise productivity is the ability of a large global organization to achieve goals, yield results and generate profits. This type of business productivity looks at how much an organization can achieve compared to how many investments — time, technology, headcount — it takes to get there. It goes beyond individual employee productivity to factor in the work of entire teams and departments.
Why is it important to measure enterprise productivity?
More than half of employees report being unproductive at work — and often, the workforce environment is to blame. Seven in ten surveyed workers say company culture impacts their ability to perform.
When you measure productivity across your enterprise organization, it’s much easier to identify what drives that culture. You see declines in real time and understand when it’s time to adjust policies and programs. For this reason, enterprises that are proactive about tracking workforce productivity trends perform better overall. Studies have long shown companies with highly engaged, productive employees experience substantially higher profitability than less engaged organizations.
In other words…
Enterprise productivity offers a window into the future of your organization's overall performance. It not only directly influences profitability but also shapes employee morale and customer satisfaction. The productive enterprise turns around projects more efficiently, scales operations swiftly and sustains long-term success. Plus, it’s a compelling differentiator — organizations that invest in productivity improvements are better equipped to navigate market fluctuations and seize new opportunities.
How to measure enterprise productivity
Ready to start measuring productivity at your enterprise organization? You have several options. Choose one of the following methods to use on its own or combine them for more insight and accuracy:
1. Productivity measurement software
The most accurate method for measuring enterprise productivity in real time is with productivity management software like ActivTrak. It tracks and analyzes key metrics for you, such as which hours people work, how much time teams spend in meetings versus focus time and whether employees get more done when working from home or at the office.
Each insight is displayed in easy-to-digest executive dashboards for data-driven decisions. Do hybrid teams produce more than departments that report full-time to the office? Use that intel to explore new flexible work arrangements. Do employees use some software licenses daily and others rarely? Put together a SaaS spend management plan. Workforce productivity management software removes the guesswork from these and many other critical decisions.
2. Results-based tracking
If you prefer to measure enterprise productivity manually, try a few different productivity calculations to see which one works best for your business. Whether you use the basic formula, the planned-to-done ratio or cycle time metrics, each of these methods serve the same purpose — to help you measure productivity from the perspective of results. You’ll gain clarity on not only how much your organization achieves over the course of each quarter, but how many resources it took teams to get there.
Just keep in mind that while these productivity metrics provide a baseline, they won’t tell you the full story. It’s important to combine your calculations with employee feedback and other assessment tools.
3. Employee feedback
Soliciting employee feedback is another great way to measure and assess enterprise productivity. Ask questions related to performance, such as:
- Do you feel you have the resources you need to complete tasks in a timely manner?
- If not, what’s standing in your way?
- Do you feel your team members support and motivate one another?
- Do you have all the technology and resources you need to finish assignments on time?
Again, it’s important to combine survey results with other data. But this method provides far better insights than you get with guesswork and speculation.
Strategies to improve enterprise productivity
Once you know how to measure enterprise productivity, the next step is adopting strategies to improve it. Here are three to get you started.
1. Find the right project management software
Based on the most recent count, enterprise organizations have more than 1,100 project management solutions to choose from. These vendors help teams assign tasks, track progress, manage timelines and collaborate on deadlines. They also increase visibility, allowing everyone to see where projects stand in real time.
However, these solutions only work when they’re simple to use. Nearly half of employees in supervisory roles say they feel overwhelmed by technology at work, and 61% say they spend more time getting technology to work than they’d like. Combat this trend by doing your due diligence when selecting or approving project management software. For example, rather than getting caught up in extra features employees may never use, look for case studies and customer stories that prove a vendors’ ability to help boost productivity.
2. Curb your technology
As more enterprises embrace remote and hybrid work, tech stacks are ballooning. The average organization now uses over 300 SaaS apps, from collaboration tools to file sharing software to video conferencing platforms. But rather than increase efficiency, the overload of productivity tools causes overwhelm.
For example, 96% of C-suite executives expect AI to boost productivity. But studies show an astounding 77% of the employees who actually use it say it adds to their workloads. They also claim it creates challenges in achieving anticipated productivity gains.
Before you add even more to your enterprise tech stack, take time to analyze the current SaaS app habits of your workforce. You don’t need more tools — just tools that are right for your people. The best way to make those determinations is with a SaaS app visibility strategy.
3. Revisit your expectations
For enterprise employees to meet your productivity goals, clear expectations are a must. People need to understand your overall objectives at both the individual and team levels. Without highly specific targets, they’ll guess their way to results that may or may not meet the business’ needs.
Communicate your expectations clearly and often, and give people the space they need to work toward them as productively as possible. This may not come naturally for some managers and executives, so be intentional about providing autonomy. One way to do this is with productivity management software designed to identify where, when and how people are most productive — rather than micromanaging every little detail of the day-to-day.
Improve productivity for your enterprise business
Ready to take your organization’s productivity to the next level? ActivTrak offers a comprehensive productivity measurement platform designed for busy enterprise executives. It provides deep insights into how work gets done, empowering you to assess and enhance employee productivity and well-being effectively.
Whether you're managing a hybrid or remote workforce, looking to monitor productivity, or aiming to improve employee engagement, our platform has the tools you need. Contact our sales team today to get started.
