Keeping productivity levels up is essential for a company to succeed, says Steffen Maier for an article on BizJournals.com. He says that as an owner or manager, you are responsible for actively trying to improve these levels.

Here are 5 ways you can help increase productivity:

1. Eliminate excessive meetings.

Meetings not only take away time, but they also deplete your employees’ decision-making and concentration power, making it harder to jump back into their regular tasks.

While you can’t eliminate meetings altogether, managers must learn how to run each one effectively by carefully considering who should be included, keeping them less than an hour, sharing an agenda in advance and creating clear action steps.

2. Cut down on stress.

Workplace stress has a negative effect on productivity. It can lead to a lack of sleep and a drastic decline in engagement and productivity.

The most powerful solution is to encourage more communication with managers. Every leader should be having regular one-on-ones with employees to check in and find out if there is anything causing stress in their employees’ work life or a personal issue that could be impacting their work.

The more you communicate with employees, the better you’ll be able to help them overcome barriers and become more engaged and productive.

3. Share productivity hacks.

Sharing knowledge about workplace "hacks" that will make your employees’ lives easier. This approach can be a key part of your learning and development strategy. For instance, consider holding voluntary learning sessions where you share tips and new tools that will help employees organize their time efficiently, prioritize tasks and deal with stress.

4. Give feedback in real time.

A major factor that surfaces in low productivity is lack of guidance. Don’t leave employees in the dark about their performance and have them make the same mistakes until review time. And, don’t sacrifice development to get other things done. Be available for feedback when your employees need it most.

5. Recognize achievements.

Never forget the power of positive feedback because showing appreciation has an even deeper impact than you might expect. A good way to do this is to infuse recognition into your culture. Take time during a weekly meeting to recognize employees for great work or for taking the time to help someone out.