Productivity vs. Efficiency- Which Should Your Remote Teams Strive For?

In a virtual set-up wherein people from different geographical locations, time zones, and cultural backgrounds need flexibility in their work schedules, businesses look for options that outline productivity vs. efficiency as a key measurement of employee performance in the new normal.

In today’s work culture, organizations employ remote teams for various reasons, transcending the limits of a regular office. Where it reduces additional office space costs while allowing professionals the convenience to work from anywhere, remote work also needs to thrive in a secure environment.

Wherever employees work, the major challenge begins with establishing seamless connectivity between supervisors and the staff. Are supervisors able to check and maintain employee performance as it is supposed to be? What exactly do businesses need to track to balance the quality and quantity of their performance?

Productivity vs. Efficiency

Productivity, by definition, is the ratio of work input leading to work output. It measures the amount of work produced by utilizing inputs like capital, resources, and labor. A highly productive work unit means that the work output of the unit is greater than the amount of work input. Efficiency, by definition, is the measure of using limited resources to produce the best output or results.

It is the ability to do things well and without wasting resources. The main difference between productivity and efficiency is on which side of the work structure each term focuses on. While productivity measures the output volume, efficiency focuses on the volume of resources used and without waste. While productivity is easy to measure, efficiency may not always be measurable.

Efficiency is also dependent on the quality of work along with the quantity of work. From the basic definitions, it is clear that both productivity and efficiency are important parts of a workflow.

It is, in fact, possible for a team of professionals to be both productive and efficient. The maintenance of both depends on analyzing different factors and conditions at work. Now that we understand productivity and efficiency concepts, let’s look at which is more important for hybrid workforces.

Productivity and Efficiency in Remote Workforce Management

In a remote work environment, workers can manage their time better overall. Hybrid workforces can also maintain better schedules in terms of exercise and food, leading to fewer illnesses and ailments.

However, it is also important to note that even though many positives are mentioned above, one of the main downsides of remote working is the lack of social interactions and team bonding.

Humans are social beings, and sometimes, not having that water cooler chat with co-workers might impact the work efficiency of an employee and the productivity of an overall team.

Productivity vs. Efficiency of Remote Teams – Which Factor to Focus on More?

An efficient workforce leads to increased productivity. People working in an environment that suits them the best and often on their own time can work comfortably and efficiently. The input of work and resources from the employer and employees is often minimal compared to work output.

The more efficient the team will be, the higher productivity measurement would become. Remote work has changed the organizational setups of most workplaces, especially in light of recent events. With the shift from physical to virtual workplaces, many characteristics of work culture have changed.

The two major factors have been efficiency and productivity, which, from an overall analysis, have been on the rise. While people are being cooped up in their homes for months on end and without the social structure of a workplace, remote teams can often face a lack of morale.

How can the Efficiency and Productivity of Remote Teams be Maintained?

Remote team managers must ensure that geographical differences do not lead to inefficient teams and their performances. If an employee or agent’s efforts are not leading to productive outcomes, it would also demoralize the team and decrease overall efficiency.

To ensure that your hybrid teams are always productive, taking effective measures and implementing strategies like employee monitoring software can help you illustrate productivity and efficiency.

5 Measures to Increase Efficiency and Productivity in Remote Workforce Management are as Follows

1. Foster Accountability

Managers always need to consider the accountability factor in hybrid workforce management. Employee monitoring tools make it easy for supervisors to help employees work efficiently.

With the help of employee productivity tracking tools, supervisors do not have to wait for performance reports but get insights into their activities in real time.

2. Reduce Communication Gaps

Setting up proper communication systems is essential for a team to work effectively. Remote collaboration tools not only help remote team employees to engage with each other virtually and efficiently but also set up managers to train remote teams.

Lack of communication can lead to low productivity and efficiency, with most of the work going into acquiring information correctly instead of working on it.

3. Detect Performance Behavior

A manager needs to clearly understand the strengths and weaknesses of each team member of the hybrid team.

This approach will enable the manager to leverage the diverse strengths of team members across various scenarios, ultimately resulting in enhanced productivity. Remote staff monitoring software helps managers detect high and low team performers.

4. Record Productivity Levels

Managers can enable employee productivity tracking software to handle efficiently, store project record productivity levels, and keep employees stable.

Any employee can slack off from their desks while working remotely, but tracking employee activities becomes convenient with a remote monitoring tool.

5. Enable Complete Feedback

Managers need to provide feedback that can help boost employee morale and encourage them to work better. Due to geographical diversities, it is not always easy to interact with all employees in real time in a remote work setup.

However, with remote workforce monitoring tools, integrated collaboration features give supervisors the flexibility to provide feedback. 

Summing Up

Focusing on being efficient will automatically lead to productive outputs. The quality and quantity of work need to be analyzed for streamlined operational efficiency vs productivity. Creating a good work environment depends on many factors that the whole team needs to consider.

Workplace systems must be flexible enough for employees, especially in remote work hierarchy. Another major factor that team leaders often overlook is that highly efficient teams do not have a standardized way of working. It is up to a manager to merge all levels of professionals into one efficient and productive system.