Improving workplace efficiency

A successful business is driven by productive employees with great morale and, while we’d like to think our employees are working at maximum productivity at all times, this just isn’t realistic. CRM Learning found that “80% of work-related conversation is spent rehashing the problems of the past and assigning blame; 15% is spent on what’s happening now, and 5% is spent on solutions and future possibilities”.

As shocking as this statistic sounds, it could well be true within your business. To mitigate this as much as possible and motivate your employees to work at near maximum capacity, here are the best tactics to improve workplace efficiency.

Communicate clearly

Are your channels of communication open, no matter the level of employee or management? Foster a culture where your workers can feel comfortable in flagging a problem should it occur. Start by taking most of your conversations off email and encourage face to face meetings, no matter the department. Although it’s sometimes important to have a paper trail, this will build better interpersonal relationships and prevent miscommunication and confusion in the long term.

Although face-to-face communication may not be possible now due to COVID related restrictions, it’s high time to use this opportunity to begin outlining the changes you want to see made and start putting them into action. In the meantime, there are plenty of technologies at your disposal that you can use to improve team communication when people are absent from the physical working space.

Have a positive working culture

Staying on topic of culture, yours has the power to foster a productive working environment. You could encourage flexible hours and remote working where appropriate or, perhaps, dish out rewards for good work and company longevity. Always ensure the right support systems are in place and make employees aware of how they can access these.

As you know, everyone works differently, and, as a senior manager, it is your responsibility to identify how your employees work best and to facilitate that for each individual.

Be transparent about your company goals

Are your goals SMART – Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Timely?

Create your company-wide goals, encourage department heads to come up with some for their remit and circulate them throughout the business. Having something that all employees can strive towards is a key factor in motivating employees. Increased motivation will increase overall productivity and efficiency.

Identify waste in your processes

Measure return on investment (ROI) as accurately as you can, and you’ll be able to point out anything that’s redundant or unnecessary. Could a process be automated? Would something else work quicker on a smaller scale? Eliminating or altering these wasteful points will streamline your business processes.

Train your employees

Though it may be time consuming, providing additional training to your employees will save you time and money in the long run. This is because employee development will improve the way they work, plus they’ll be inspired by the new ideas and tools they can use to make your business more profitable. For example, are their technological skills up to scratch? Is there any new technology you can use to enhance their work and make their lives more productive?

Improve your quality management system

Acquire the right resources and you can improve the quality of your product or service. ISO 9001 will provide you with the right framework: perform a gap analysis to help identify high costs within your processes as well as points that are damaging your quality. The qualification will help you start a mandatory process of thorough documentation that your employees will easily be able to follow, and you’ll develop a company attitude to continual improvement.