Workplace efficiency and productivity are two invaluable factors that drive enterprise success. But as any entrepreneur who’s been there and done that can attest to, you don’t build a productive and efficient workplace right off the bat. It takes months if not years to assemble teams, standards, and processes that can do the tasks you need done in the shortest amount of time possible and using only the smallest amount of resources.
Fortunately, you don’t have to pioneer your way into workplace productivity and efficiency as countless other businesses have already done it. Here are seven do’s and don’ts that you can copy from them:
DO Get Rid of Meetings
Meetings are single most hated aspect of daily work for most employees. It’s viewed as an unnecessary waste of time, boring, and basically doesn’t add anything of value to the company or its employees. Get rid of daily or even weekly meetings. Try to cut the frequency of meetings to once a month. If you need to distribute or extract information from lower level employees, use more efficient channels of communication, such as email.
DON’T Stick With Something That’s Not Working
If an employee or new equipment isn’t working out for your business, cut it loose right away. Avoid being sentimental and trying to keep something just because it’s difficult or awkward for you to admit the fact that they add no value whatsoever to the company. If a new software program meant to track productivity is only causing more confusion, stress, and distraction for your employees, switch back to your normal way of doing things.
DO Improve Working Conditions
Expand your workplace to accommodate a growing workforce and add amenities to increase comfort while at work. Add a more spacious break room, invest in ergonomic chairs, add more healthy snacks to the vending machine, offer outdoor space for natural lighting, etc. When your employee’s working conditions are improved, they tend to be happier and more satisfied about their job. This translates to a higher retention rate and increased productivity since you don’t have to continuously hire and train new employees, which not only is time-intensive but also costly.
DON’T Go Cheap on Tech
Technology is seen by most entrepreneurs as a costly and unnecessary investment. Tech, however, can dramatically increase workplace efficiency and alleviate resources from operational bottlenecks. Customer relations management software, SEO tools, and digital databases are few of the many common technologies being capitalized on today by companies.
DO Improve the Hiring Process
The steps of the hiring process will determine who gets in. If the hiring process doesn’t work, the people who enter the workforce won’t fit the company. Introducing the wrong people into your workplace creates tension between coworkers, low productivity levels due to incompetent team members who become “weak links”, and costs your business money.
DO Have Performance Reviews
While there are companies that already do this, mostly those in tech, many have yet to adopt performance reviews as a way to keep track of their employees’ progress. Not only does this provide them with a context on how they are doing and what they are contributing to the company, but it also gives them targets or goals to move towards.
Performance reviews are provide employees with the perfect opportunity to let their employers know how they feel about their work and the overall workplace culture.
DON’T Incentivize With Money
It’s thoughtless, unoriginal, and unsustainable over the long haul. You want employees to be working for your company because they love the culture, the working conditions, the work perks, and of course the salary. You want them to be in it not just for the money, but also for the mission and vision that your company stands for.
Final Thoughts
Reaching peak productivity and efficiency leads to faster scaling and success. Although there are initial costs, the potential payout is far greater. Use the seven do’s and don’ts listed above to create a productive and efficient workplace.
