Your business may be functioning well and turning a profit, but it can always do better. If you have found your niche and have a good group of workers, then you have all that you require for achieving bigger goals. It is good to take a moment and assess how far you have come, but be wary of growing stagnant.
A business that does not grow is a business that will become irrelevant with time. Focus on improving the efficiency with which your employees can carry out tasks. Equip the office environment with the tools it needs to be an effective workspace.
Giving your employees up-to-date computers is good but providing them with secure data storage options is even better. Reliable and responsive data protection and recovery services are a necessity when nearly every aspect of the business world has moved online. This also means that in the event of having to work from home, your employees have secure access to sensitive information and can continue providing you with the same level of efficient results.
Focus all your productivity improvement efforts on this type of intuitive and integrated solutions. They will be easier to roll out and your staff will not need as much training and downtime to learn as a whole new set of processes would require.
Stop Expecting Employees to Multi-Task
People can multi-task but studies have shown that because their attention is stretched in many directions, they are not able to give as ideal a result. Multi-tasking can lead to burning out and high employee turnover. Instead, consider giving employees or teams a single task or project that they can work on to completion.
You will be guaranteed a near-flawless result that will not need to be changed or re-worked many times and it will make your teams more efficient. Employees who can focus on doing one task well will be more motivated and are likely to work faster and more efficiently.
Hold Meetings Within Designated Time Frames
Employees dread meetings because they can often go on too long and interfere with productivity. If your employees have a deadline for a project but as subject to a three-hour meeting then you are not allowing them to utilize their time effectively. If you must hold meetings, then set a very clear time frame within which the meeting must occur and do not let it go over. The employees will receive the information they need and be able to return to their work promptly and without any mental fatigue.
Consider excluding teams working on time-sensitive projects from meetings altogether. Summarize the points of the meeting and share them via email. Make it known that anyone who needs to clarify information can come to you or the meeting leader. This will also encourage employees to come forward with questions, queries, and make the process of having meetings more inclusive and efficient.
Use Software Designed to Improve Productivity
Far too much time is spent sending and answering emails which is not as effective a way to monitor work productivity as companies require. Whether your employees are working out of the office or telecommuting, consider having everyone use a dedicated task management software.
These software tools can help people to send inquiries, receive feedback, and collaborate more efficiently. Managers can easily keep track of what is being done by whom, track progress according to schedule, and monitor the quality of the work without taking the employee away from the task to answer questions.
Automate Administrative Tasks
It is now easier than ever to automate certain tasks that have long taken up much of the administrative aspect of a business. Automation of your mail system into primarily an email inbox helps reduce paper usage and can help your business to produce less waste. This will surely appeal to clients and employees who prefer to work with an environmentally conscious company.
Automate the process of paying bills and staff to guarantee a seamless and documented paper trail that will help you to manage your internal finances more efficiently. Also, by embracing the automation of routine tasks you free up your employees to do other tasks and engage in creative problem-solving
Efficiency matters and productivity is important, but remember that everything must be done in moderation. Focusing too much on making every business procedure efficient could distract you from achieving other, equally important goals.
The key is to involve your employees. They are your ground staff and have a more intimate knowledge of how to become more effective and efficient. Encourage open communication and work with your staff to help your business grow and improve.