Table of Contents
Most entrepreneurs want their businesses to be efficient, but they may mistake efficiency with performing tasks quickly. Thus, they pick quantity while sometimes sacrificing quality. To achieve optimal efficiency, however, tasks must be completed in a timely manner while still producing high-quality results.
Even if your employees are doing all they can, it requires effort to remain efficient. Additionally, inefficiency will always be present in the workplace and can cost your company a lot of money. Here are some things you can do to improve efficiency in your offices:
Set realistic goals
Setting goals for your company is essential if you want your business to reach new heights. However, goal setting can get tricky if you shoot too high or push your employees too hard. Goals should be realistic and achievable. If you place a challenge in front of your employees that is too much, some may rise to the challenge, but others may look at their already insane workload and get discouraged.
Additionally, if they try to meet the goal but can’t, morale may decline. When developing goals, make sure they are reachable and specific. Having vague goals could leave employees confused about what the outcome of the goal should be.
Encourage feedback
Feedback is sometimes difficult to give because it’s hard to know how someone will receive the input, especially if it’s negative. However, change and progress are brought about by making adjustments based on feedback. Feedback is especially important for people in management positions. If they are doing something their employees don’t like, it’s crucial for them to change their approach, because they are affecting a whole department.
You can encourage feedback by creating an online forum for human resource issues or holding a meeting every month where employees can give feedback about how things are going. However, remember you can provide positive feedback instantly through face-to-face interactions and emails. Doing so will help improve morale among your employees.
Promote open communication
Communication is vital to any company. It increases the flow of ideas and provides an avenue to collaboration. Your company should encourage a culture of open communication among departments as well as between management and staff. You can do this by leading by example. If you promote this type of culture, your employees will feel like they can come to you when something in the office is affecting how they work.
Update technology
Sometimes efficiency is hindered because the tools employees are working with are out of date. While it can be a significant cost to upgrade computers and other electronics, improving technology will pay dividends in the long run as employees will be able to get more done.
Develop a mobile policy
Smartphones and tablets are a great way to enhance productivity. Depending on the kind of work your employees perform, they may benefit from a company smartphone, especially if they are texting a lot or making frequent calls. Having a smartphone can help employees who work outside of the office give and receive information with more ease, as well as make transactions with clients faster.
Improve your communications system
If you are having your employees communicate on a variety of platforms, that could be slowing them down. If you can find a system that incorporates all the methods of communications your team uses, you should consider switching to that system to make communication more straightforward.
Improving your company’s efficiency can be difficult, but as you strive to implement new strategies, you will see what a difference an efficient workplace can make. Not only will your employees accomplish more, but they will also feel more positive about their work situation.
How SIEMENS is driving continuous improvement
Siemens is driving simplicity from an end-user perspective while improving process efficiency and reducing costs, helping the company accelerate its digital transformation. Now Siemens can:
- Simplify service management with a one-stop-shop portal (myIT) for end-users
- Improve IT service quality and time to market while having end-to-end accountability in place
- Provide full visibility into mobile assets, plans, and features
- Track usage and expenses to reduce overall costs and wasteful spending
- Automate interfaces to easily plug in and out providers
“ServiceNow and brightfin is our speed dial for digitalization,” says Egelhaaf. “It puts IT into the position to provide better support and generate more value for the business.”
Click here to download the full PDF.
