Workplace efficiency refers to having employees who get work done with the least effort and time wastage. While different factors can influence the desired efficiency in your office. Implementing several immediate changes can bolster productivity, improve employee satisfaction, and promote a positive workplace culture.
The following five tips on improving workplace efficiency are easily adaptable if your staff works remotely. They are ideal for a home-office operation.
- Start With The Workplace
Creating a positive working environment can directly affect your staff’s efficiency and productivity. Therefore, it might be time for an office do-over. Some of the changes you can make include:
- Update the grey and white walls with vibrant yellow, blue, green, and red colors. Whatever you decide to use must be the right shade. It should be a hue with the appropriate intensity, something not too overwhelming or mute.
- Make the office setting comfortable, having the optimal indoor temperature. 68 – 70degrees Fahrenheit is considering ideal for boosting productivity. Temperature extremes can be disruptive.
- Take out the conventional office furniture replacing them with ergonomically correct desks and chairs. How do you expect your staff to work efficiently when they have back pains from hunching over or other incorrect posture positions when working?
- Update your office hardware and software. Bring in new computers and other equipment, ensuring they operate using the latest software and other solutions. Dated office software and equipment can slow down productivity. Therefore, you should provide the necessary resources for your IT department to execute its duties or outsource an IT consultant to help modernize your systems.
- Offer Flexible Work Schedules
Companies developed a deeper appreciation of remote working when the COVID pandemic hit, forcing people to stay home for their safety. Projects were run online, meetings were held via video conferences, and workers saved money and time by not commuting to and from the office.
Allowing your staff to work remotely and providing flexible schedules can ensure that you have a team willing to work irrespective of the pandemic challenges. It shows them that you trust them to execute their roles while away from the office. Use a timesheet template to gain full visibility of staff schedules. With flexible working you will enjoy reduced costs on office utilities.
- Set Realistic Goals
The need to meet targets pressures us to set impossible goals, which you might have been guilty of doing for your team or at a personal level. Setting objectives is crucial, but it is best not to do this and find ourselves failing.
Take the time to review the various details and talk to your team before establishing deadlines. Let them say what they can accomplish within a reasonable time frame. It also can be an avenue for gaining insights into potential problems you might have overlooked. You get to break a project into smaller tasks depending on employee capacity and availability, which can improve productivity and efficiency.
- Refine Your Time Management Strategies
Segmenting the project and assigning it to your team using a flexible work schedule allows them to work when they are most efficient. Some can work last at night, early in the morning, and others when they find time from juggling various responsibilities. However, it is best to give clear directions about what is expected and when. Video conferences between you and the employees and the workers amongst themselves can help everyone work better because it promotes virtual collaboration that will help those struggling or lagging.
Workers who are good at working remotely can share their time-management tips and advice with their fellow employees. Also, encourage your team to ask for suggestions regarding new tech solutions that help increase productivity.
- Consider Outsourcing
While it is possible to save money when you run things in-house, having an independent operation; outsourcing some areas of the processes can help free your staff to take no more duties. It can allow you to focus on developing or enhancing your revenue generation. Some of the tasks you can outsource include social media marketing, accounting, and website maintenance. This will mean less time on social media and involving yourself in mundane tasks.
For instance, you can hire Bill.com to handle the accounting, paying vendors, data entry, inventory, or invoicing customers. It will make things flow better, simplifying the entire process, which helps you get paid faster. You will not have piles of incoming bills or unsent invoices. And with the service being cloud-based, you can access your financials at your convenience – anytime, anywhere.
