It’s a question that all managers ask themselves at one point or another: how can I increase productivity in the workplace? How do I inspire my workers, keep them motivated, and help them to feel supported in their positions? It can be difficult to balance productivity with other factors such as employee satisfaction and compensation. But here are a few suggestions for strategies you might not have tried.

1. Boost Morale

Create a team in-office that will spend one hour per week devising ways to make work more enjoyable. This might be a committee of multiple employees who already have a good understanding of exactly what things would inspire the various departments at work — after all, the answers may vary between the accounting department and human resources. Give this team the budget and authority to plan special events, parties, or other activities that might keep the workplace in good spirits.

2. Create Milestones

People like to accomplish things: to mark tasks as complete, to finish up a work in progress, and to bask in their productivity. There’s nothing like the feeling of satisfaction when checking something off a to-do list. By creating milestones such as sales totals or other attainable goals, you can build a spirit of friendly competition in the office. Creating multiple teams that compete against one another to achieve milestones can also be great for company morale.

3. Provide Incentives

Let your employees earn bonuses, gift cards, paid time off, or other special incentives for a job well done. These will vary according to your industry but think along the lines of movie theater tickets and gift cards for popular local restaurants. A little bit goes a long way toward increasing productivity.

4. Take Suggestions

Always listen when your employees have feedback for you — they are the eyes and ears of your business! Whether it’s a suggestion for changing things up at work or a complaint about personal interactions, knowing they’ve been heard will help your employees to feel like they can always come forward when they have something to say.

5. Consider an Alternate Schedule

Most employees would approve of a shorter workday, assuming of course that they wouldn’t be shorted on their current compensation. Alternate schedules (for example, a four-day workweek with ten hours per day) or shorter days allow your employees to work in the way that suits them best, which is always a sure way to increase productivity.