The Tribune

By Ian Ferguson

How do you measure productivity in your place of work? Do you know how efficient your employees and processes are? Workforce productivity can be measured in two ways: In physical terms or in price terms. This incorporates the intensity of labour-effort, the quality of labour effort, the creative activity involved in producing technical innovations and the relative efficiency gains resulting from different systems of management, organisation, co-ordination or engineering.

In the most simplistic terms, the levels of productivity in the workplace impact your company’s bottom line in a direct way. The sad reality is that very few companies are consistent in determining and measuring productivity. Perhaps our discussion will cause the employee to think about their own resourcefulness and give the business owner a moment to evaluate whether or not his business resources are being used to their maximum potential.

Productivity is commonly defined as the ratio of a volume measure of output to a measure of input used. It is the amount of goods and services that a worker produces in a given amount of time. Labour productivity is a gauge of several economic indicators, as it offers a measure of economic growth,

competitiveness and living standards within an economy. It is the measure of labour productivity (and all that this measure takes into account) which helps explain the principal economic foundations that are necessary for both economic growth and social development. Show me a thriving economy where industry and sectors are moving in positive directions, and I will point you to an efficient and effective workforce.

We often hear negative comments made about our Bahamian workforce, and our aptitude or effort in achieving greater measures of productivity. Many will argue that we seem to be stuck in sub-standard mod,e and a spirit of excellence or, in some instances, even maintaining the standard escapes us. We see huge talent wastage in every sector, both public and private sector: Seven men standing idly over a hole with one man in the trench digging; four women assigned to answering the office telephone, with each officer sitting indolently by for most of the day.

We can easily and accurately measure the time lost due to absenteeism, short-term disability or other cases of personal leave. You can measure the consequences of time spent on administrative activities such as filing, e-mail, voicemail and meetings. Productivity is also impacted by corporate

policies on professional education, job-related training and office meetings and briefings.

An accurate understanding of how much of a department’s time is spent on true production versus other activities, including time away from work and time spent on administrative duties, is a critical step in improving business performance. This, though, is merely the beginning of our dilemma. Identifying a method for determining how much time is lost due to lethargy, poor job fit and negative attitudes to leadership, customers and work in general is another part of this equation.

A workplace and an economy, however large or small, have to be driven by efficiency and achievement that manifests itself in the form of tangible results. Less productive inputs and lower efficiency levels are bound to adversely affect the business and country, jeopardising its sustainability and survival.

NB: Ian R. Ferguson was educated locally, regionally and internationally, having earned a Master’s Degree in Education from the University of Miami. During the course of his nearly 20 years in education, talent management and human resources, he has served both the public and private sector in senior management roles. He currently serves as manager of the Chamber Institute, and as a local consultant in the field, having assisted hundreds of local and regional businesses in improving business and service excellence through their human capital.