Every company has its own way of getting things done. When you move from one job to another, you will notice big differences between hierarchy, production initiatives, and most notably day-to-day workflows. The goal of every organization is to create the most concise and productive workspace as possible to achieve the greatest amount of output. To improve your bottom line and company morale, it’s imperative to make sure business processes are streamlined and flow smoothly from start to finish. Take a few minutes and evaluate how your team conducts themselves and where there may be potential bottlenecks. Then, take a look at these tips to see if any of these strategies may help eliminate inconsistencies or under-performing areas of your business.
Reduce Micromanagement
No one likes having the boss breathing down their neck to get things done. Micromanagement is one of the biggest barricades to creating a productive work environment for your staff. Allowing employees space to work independently and collaborate within the department will result in much more innovative planning with less groupthink. Give employees the opportunity to impress and devise their own initiatives and workflows that may be an improvement on current office protocol. You may also find that not setting strict deadlines, and letting the staff work at their own pace will result in a much more refined and detailed finished product. Don’t let your business suffer because supervisors feel pressured to deliver with haste. Studies have shown that a more relaxed work environment is much more efficient.
Automate Repetitive Tasks
Depending on the industry you work in, many of your day-to-day responsibilities may be performed through the use of a computer or tablet. Although it may be tedious, filling out forms or spreadsheets online are a crucial piece of most office jobs. Unfortunately, however, most of these tasks are unavoidable. These monotonous efforts can take time away from more important projects or tasks that need to be completed in a timely fashion. Many companies have recently begun adapting process automation technology into their business practices to supplement repetitive exercises. Although many believe A.I. is replacing human labor, automation gives humans more free time to accomplish more challenging and complex assignments. Consider how much more productive workflow could be with hours of free time to allocate to client needs or internal projects.
Encourage Delegation
Too often businesses unintentionally foster an unhealthy work environment that is not only competitive but cutthroat at times. That being said, many employees will be unwilling to share their workload or allow others to take credit for work in an attempt to put themselves on a pedestal. Encouraging your staff to work together and/or delegate tasks to others will improve team morale and help overall productivity as more projects can be completed in a more timely manner.
Emphasizing leadership skills and training play a big part in managing a successful business as well. Having selfless employees who are always willing to put the company’s values first will be beneficial in the long-term for sustaining growth and profits.
Develop a Mentorship Program
Although this may seem fairly obvious, training new employees is crucially important to help maintain the same standards and work ethic within a business in the long-term. Finding the best talent out of a pool of applicants is just the beginning. Giving new hires the proper knowledge and guidance to succeed at their job is what will ensure there are no gaps in the workflow of the department. Assign a mentor or multiple mentors to each new employee to give them more insight into the day-to-day responsibilities and what their job will entail. Likely this mentor will do the same work as the new hire, with advanced knowledge of the company and division. Having someone who they can go to and rely upon for any questions or concerns will help build their confidence as they know they’ll always have a co-worker to lean on in times of need. Mentorship programs have become the norm for many industries, and if your company doesn’t currently have one, starting this practice may result in a much more effective onboarding process.
