According to a recent report, “79% of workers agreed that they do not believe they are productive for a complete eight-hour workday.” While we cannot expect our team to be productive 100% of the time (that’s not how the human brain works), we must work to boost productivity and efficiency where possible. After all, this will help steer your company toward success.
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With that in mind, here are four guaranteed ways in which you can improve efficiency and productivity within the workplace.
Use software to your advantage.
Sometimes, the reason why your team may not be working as efficiently as possible is that too much of their energy is spent on time-consuming tasks, such as admin or project management – instead of their ‘actual job.’ However, this can be remedied through the use of software and technology that automates these tasks so that everyone can stay on track. Using a document management system is definitely a time-saver and will boost your efficiency because you can store all of your documents in one place.
If you run a HVAC business, you could use BuildOps hvac software to automate work orders, send out invoices and assign jobs to your team. This way, you aren’t spending hours sifting through paperwork and timesheets, and your team can work much more independently. By using this kind of software in your daily operations, you’ll notice that your productivity rates begin to increase quite considerably. After all, your team will have more time to do the work you actually hired them to do. This, in turn, will help your business grow from strength to strength.
Hire people with new skills.
When hiring new employees, you likely already have an idea in mind as to what the ‘ideal employee’ looks like. However, while certain qualifications may be necessary, it’s important that your team does not look as though it was assembled through cookie cutters. That is, you should always be on the lookout for employees who bring something NEW to the table. After all, fresh thoughts and perspectives could help revolutionize your workplace as they can make positive changes to the company. This, in turn, could cause productivity rates to skyrocket as a result. For example, they may be able to find quicker ways to complete specific tasks, improving efficiency across the entire team as a result.
Build a collaborative workplace.
For decades, business owners encouraged competition between colleagues, viewing it as a way to incentivize their team to work harder. However, various studies have found that businesses with collaborative workplace cultures tend to perform better than those that are overly competitive. This is because employees feel respected and comfortable within the workplace, meaning they’re more engaged – and studies have found that “having highly engaged employees can lead to a 202% increase in performance.” As a result, you must focus on creating a positive workplace culture within your business. Fortunately, there are many ways you can achieve this goal. For example, you should begin by setting a standard for respect throughout the workplace, ensuring that everyone is treated kindly. You should also encourage your team to work together towards shared goals instead of feeling as though they have to do everything independently. Not only will improving company culture improve efficiency and productivity within your business, but it could also improve employee retention and attrition rates.
Set SMART Goals.
Goal setting is one of the easiest ways to ensure that we spend our time productively. This is because it can keep procrastination to a minimum while also providing us with a guide to follow each day. As such, alongside outlining company/workplace goals, you should encourage your team to set themselves daily goals and targets. However, these goals must be attainable and realistic – otherwise, they may feel as though they are constantly falling short of where they need to be. As such, you may benefit from setting SMART goals within your team. If you are unfamiliar with the concept, SMART Goals are:
Specific – Goals should be as specific as possible; you should have a clear understanding of what you are working towards.
Measurable – Goals must be measurable, meaning that there must be some way of assessing whether or not you have reached them, such as by gathering data.
Achievable – Goals must be realistic and attainable.
Relevant – Goals must be relevant to your business and your larger business goals.
Time-Bound – Goals should be set with a specific time frame in mind.
The above framework is a great way to help your team stay focused on the goal, as it means larger goals can easily be broken down into smaller, more manageable tasks.
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