Every company is keen to maximize employees productivity, as it directly translates into better business results. As such, productivity is often seen as something that leadership must manage.

Typically, this manifests itself in various top-down initiatives and regulations—leaders are inspired by the latest productivity trend or research and are quick to jump ahead, implementing it throughout their organization.

Anyone who has been through this process (myself included) will tell you that it rarely works. Why? BECAUSE productivity techniques and methods are almost never a one-size-fits-all solution. Productivity is a highly individual and context-dependent aspect of work that varies from person to person and role to role.

So instead of applying a blanket idea of ​​what productivity should look like, I believe entrepreneurs should take the time to observe and understand the work patterns of their teams and respond accordingly by engaging with individual and catering to their strengths.

That's what I did—and here are five things I learned about productivity from my employees.

Connected: Why Greece's six-day work week may backfire on productivity

1. Different people thrive at different times of the day

I am a precocious child and in my formative years, I was taught that it is a key trait of a hard worker. It's still a popular narrative that you'll see plastered everywhere – from LinkedIn posts to inspirational posters.

But the fact is that people's productivity peaks at different times of the day, and while I might be at my best at 9am, others might be at their peak in the afternoon when I'm running low on juice.

That's why I encourage every entrepreneur who can use flexible working hours, that is, allowing team members to choose when they start and end their workday. In our case, people can start anytime between 9 and 11 am and this has had a positive impact not only on overall productivity but also on employee satisfaction.

Forcing people into unnatural work patterns just doesn't make sense.

2. Peak hours of creativity? Lunch time

At DeskTime, we offer free lunch in the office, so the canteen is one of the few places where the team gathers regularly. Work is rarely the main topic of discussion, but when it does come up, challenges are addressed in a much more creative and candid way than in any boardroom.

Of course, it is not because of the food itself, but because of the informal environment shared with the extended team. No hierarchy, no labels, and no pressure means that ideas that might be stifled in a meeting can't emerge unscathed—and often they're just what's needed to move forward with a current challenge.

In other words, there are many ways to maximize productivity, and as a team leader, you must ensure that productivity flourishes in all possible avenues.

Connected: 5 insights I learned while growing my business from a startup to a 500-person company

3. Clear expectations lead to higher productivity

Productivity at work is the effective use of time to solve a challenge. So it's no surprise that if employees have to spend a significant amount of time understanding the tasks at hand, then productivity suffers. Simply put, if employees don't understand their tasks, they can't do them effectively.

Therefore, one of the biggest drivers of team productivity is strong leadership coupled with clear communication. When everyone is aligned on goals and expectations and fully equipped to achieve them, work flow becomes much smoother.

No matter how much you focus on individual performance, you won't be able to lift it if the underlying system is broken.

4. Regular vacations increase productivity

I learned this from my team over a decade ago when I noticed that people who go for coffee every hour, play soccer, and generally take vacations perform just as well—if not better—than those who don't.

Today, the science behind the value of taking vacations it is well placed. We even did a study at DeskTime that found the most productive people work for 52 minutes and then take a 17-minute break, which led us to go viral. Rule 52/17.

Despite this, I still regularly encounter business leaders determined to maximize productivity by maximizing time spent on the computer. That's just not how people work.

Connected: 5 essential things leaders can learn from their employees

5. Be careful in choosing the tools you use

Almost every piece of business software promises more efficient work methods that should lead to better productivity. It's easy to get caught up in the hype, constantly reimagining workflows and fantasizing about how you'll use technology to solve productivity and other challenges.

Don't get me wrong – this is exactly what a leader should do. But always remember that your goal is to minimize costs and friction for your employees.

It takes time to learn the tools and resources and integrate them into existing systems. Also, while the tool may take care of some processes for employees, the employees now have to take care of the tool. Sometimes, it's a compromise that only looks good on paper—if employees hate using something, it can backfire no matter how much fat is cut.

In other words, getting team input on whether this productivity-enhancing technology is actually increasing productivity is always valuable. And if not – abandon it.