
Even with the proliferation of technology and digitalization into our workspaces, several crucial departments are still held back by traditional, time-consuming processes. Take, for example, physical paper documentation. If there’s one thing that is a constant in different departments of any business, it’s paperwork – lots and lots of paperwork! For example, in HR, an executive could end up processing anywhere between 10 to 60 documents for the simple task of onboarding a new employee. Same for the sales team. Every pitch and subsequent sale contains contracts, MOUs, quotations, proposals, etc. The list is endless.
All these daily tasks require careful documentation, but printing, gathering signatures, and storing hard copies take up precious time and space, directly leading to confusion, loss of business hours, and the worst of all, productivity!
Similarly, there are many more reasons why a team’s productivity can drop considerably over time. Poor management, extreme stress, and burnout are some of the top causes for employees facing more than their fair share of challenges.
Also Read: E-signatures to Help HR Teams Improve Efficiency
If increasing office productivity and employee efficiency are on your mind, you’re in the right place! Here are 5 essential tips to ensure that your team is high on productivity as well as morale:
· Take time for planning
· Communicate, Communicate, Communicate!
· Delegate and develop!
· Clean up that desk!
· Inject technology to empower the team!
Take time for planning
1 hour of planning can save 10 hours of doing! - Dale Carnegie
If to-do lists and post-its are your best friends, you are on the right path. But if you are not acquainted with the myriad advantages of planning, you must know that workload management for your team starts when you begin with a Group To-Do list. Working in tandem with your team and then executing your tasks as per priority is the best way to handle a tough day or week. Set priorities for yourself and your teams and ensure adherence to them. Whether you work in a highly charged environment like a lawyer’s office or a more structured and composed space like a School Principal’s office, having a well-planned day can increase your ability to perform at your best.
Pro-tips!
- Get behind your team and their goals.
- Set realistic but precise deadlines.
- Schedule planned downtimes for the team every few weeks so that work doesn’t become too tedious and overbearing.
- Adopt a cross-functional approach and ensure every team member is trained to take over in case of contingencies.
Communicate, Communicate, Communicate!
The Art of Communication is the language of leadership! - James Humes
Whether a company opts to utilize email, face-to-face meetings, or even an SMS alert system, the important thing is for employers and leaders to practice effective and positive communication. Effective communication allows employees to get clear and definite instructions, enabling them to act according to what is expected of them. Improvement in accountability then increases productivity in the workplace. Efficient communication, which includes clear instructions, fast message delivery, and proper explanation, is the key to solid cooperation between managers and employees. It plays an eminent role in getting things done, ultimately increasing the department’s productivity.
Pro-Tips
- Create regular newsletters and inclusive conferences to share the latest updates of your achievements, performances, etc.
- Create a work culture that appreciates open communication and transparency.
- Ensure that inter-departmental communication is strong and open. If the Sales team of an office does not clearly communicate the need for high client spend budgets to the finance team, let’s say, for a month, you can bet that there will be delays in your reimbursement processes. Stressful for the sales rep and inefficient for the finance man!
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