Americans are working more hours than ever before. Nearly 4 out of 10 workers claim they log 50+ hours a week at their job. Americans also get less vacation days than other countries with only 15 days on average and Europeans getting 28 days on average. With all that time we spend working, could it be because we aren’t being efficient enough? Sometimes we can get stuck in our ways around the office and get used to using a certain system or process and aren’t open to change. That doesn’t mean that the process we use is the most efficient. So here are some tips that will help make your office more productive.
- Organize processes to save time. For any company, there needs to be a system in place where all your data and information go for employees. If you want to be efficient, don’t let your HR team waste time managing spreadsheets. Let them spend more time on project-management. Get an HRIS software system that creates reports and analysis for you. Don’t waste time telling yourself “that’s just how we’ve always done it.”
- Assign tasks to the right person. Often times when managers assign tasks they ask themselves ‘who has the most time available to work on this’, when they really should be asking ‘who has the right skills to accomplish this task’. Giving the right person the right task can be extremely beneficial. The person who has the right skills and connections to get a task done, will be more efficient and spend less time coordinating with managers asking how to do the particular task.
- Encourage teamwork. People like to be in an environment where they feel comfortable and where they feel that their ideas are being heard. Encouraging teamwork will provide that safe environment and also foster creativity and learning. It can help your employees build trust and take healthy risk-taking, which in turn will result in better work.
- Quiet Areas. Provide areas around the office that people can go to get away from all the distractions and focus. Sometimes there can be a little too many distractions from other employees talking to each other and noise around the office. Distractions don’t only take you away from you work but it also can reduce the quality of work you do as well.
- Organize Desktops. Most jobs in America uses a computer now, with 62% of working Americans claiming that the internet is an integral part of their job. With that, getting everything on your computer organized can save a lot of time. Get all your files in a folder that is easy to find, keep your email organized with filters, and bookmark sites that you use everyday. Don’t waste time looking through countless folders for that one document you can’t remember where you saved. Get that computer organized!
- Plan out your day. Planning out your day can cause great benefits. When you know exactly what you need to do that day, you won’t spend time thinking about what you should do. Plan ahead and create a to-do list. This will create order and you will be able to prioritize and manage projects effectively. Plus everyone always likes crossing off things on their list of things to do.
