At any organization, profitability depends on productivity. It comes down to how much work it takes to produce a specific amount of goods or services. While employees focus on their daily productivity levels, leadership has a wider view, measuring and adjusting as needed. With the right culture, proper communication and training, companies can achieve more efficient, sustained success. Although causes of low productivity can be external, most often the issues holding organizations back are internal. The best organizations address these common causes of low productivity with active, honest, and open conversations.

• Management and leadership:

Poor management affects productivity by reducing efficiency. It also impairs employees’ ability to discuss roadblocks openly. Specific issues such as inconsistent communication, manager burnout, and micromanagement can decrease employee morale and honesty.

• Training and development:

Aligning professional development initiatives that benefit company productivity is an effective solution for higher performance and employee engagement. Ask your employees what they want to learn, and consider how their ideas could also help business goals.

• Diversity:

When teams with diverse backgrounds and experiences work together, they can create more unique solutions and connect with more customers. The fewer biases you have, the better.

• Work environment/ company culture:

From physical factors, such as natural light and workplace flexibility, to atmosphere issues, such as toxicity among employees or lack of appreciation— many components in a work environment can chip away at productivity.

• Compensation:

While research suggests pay is not one of the strongest engagement drivers, compensation matters to employees. Low compensation makes people feel unappreciated, while high compensation encourages them to keep working hard and growing with the organization.

• Employee well-being:

Employees who don’t feel well will work less efficiently and waste more time. They might also take more sick days. Offering paid time off and other employee well-being benefits is a great way to invest in your employees’ mental health and wellbeing. When you improve employee well-being, people feel refreshed and reconnected. That means they work harder and feel committed to the vision and shared goals. Wellness is contagious.

• Tools and technology:

Advances in technology benefit every industry, making it possible to find a more current, efficient way to complete processes and work together. Without the right tools, employees are more likely to feel disengaged, frustrated, and inefficient.

Consider the impact of low productivity. If companies do not address productivity issues, it’s only a matter of time before they lose their competitive advantages, money, and top talent. Costly effects of low productivity include:

• Reduced profit: When employees can’t deliver quality goods or services at a profitable rate, it’s time to evaluate efficiency roadblocks. If production costs continue to exceed the money coming in, your business could be in big trouble.

• Disengaged employees: When employees are disengaged, they no longer need to satisfy customers or go the extra mile. Combined with inefficient processes, that is not safe for your bottom line.

• Unutilized resources: Employees have every right to be frustrated when their resources fall short or their coworkers waste time on unproductive tasks. It’s up to leaders to monitor and improve resource usage.

• Increased employee burnout and turnover: When processes are inefficient, employees overexert themselves and become more exhausted. That exhaustion leads to employee burnout and a toxic culture, two main reasons why employees leave.

• Lack of motivation, creativity, and innovation: Creativity, innovation, and self-motivation are the last thing on individuals’ minds when they’re just trying to get through the day. Productive systems and processes help companies find time for brainstorming and innovation, which are both necessary for growth.

Bob Helbig is media partnerships director at Energage, a Philadelphia-based employee survey firm. Energage is The Denver Post’s survey partner for Top Workplaces. To nominate your company as a Top Workplace, go to denverpost.com/nominate.