How to Improve Efficiency at Work

Are you looking for tips on how to improve your work performance? If you are, then learn how to improve efficiency in the workplace!

How to Improve Efficiency at Work

The average worker is only productive for 60% or less across all industries. In fact, the average employee is only productive for less than three hours each day. A lack of productivity could impact a company's bottom line.

Want to improve efficiency for your entire team this year? Consider applying these tips to increase productivity.

Applying these changes can help boost your team's work performance. As their output increases, your ROI will as well.

Discover how to set your business up for long-term growth and success with these work performance tips today!

Clarify Goals

You can improve efficiency as an employee or employer by setting personal or company-wide goals. Establishing goals for your team can also ensure everyone is on the same page. Then, you can work together to accomplish specific objectives.

Make sure each goal you establish is SMART—Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Timely. As you set larger SMART goals, consider breaking them up into smaller, easily achievable goals. Use key performance indicators (KPIs) to track your progress along the way.

Establishing SMART goals that are clearly defined and achievable can boost your productivity.

As an employer, setting goals for your team will ensure they understand what's expected of them. You can help them determine how to best accomplish each goal, too.

If they're struggling to meet the smaller benchmarks, you'll know it's time to make an adjustment to the plan.

As an employee, setting SMART goals can help you remain productive and efficient. It can also help you set realistic expectations for yourself. If the task isn't realistic, you could put unnecessary stress on your own shoulders.

Use Software

About 75% of global organizations are projected to increase the use of productivity tools. In fact, 55% of retailers believe technology can increase productivity. The IoT has improved productivity by 46% thus far.

Unfortunately, the current systems your team is using might have a negative impact on their productivity levels.

For example, the average employee spends 13 hours a week checking their email. The average employee also spends 11.6 hours every week processing emails at work.

About 269 billion emails are sent globally every single day. Due to the busy nature of the modern workplace, employees only open 24% of these emails, though. Spam, meanwhile, costs employers an estimated $21 billion in productivity.

Today, one of the most often used measures to mitigate productivity killers includes monitoring email and internet usage.

Match Tasks to Skills

Employers should have a clear understanding of each employee's skill set and behavioral styles. Only then can they match each employee's skills to tasks that need completing. Matching tasks to skill sets can help maximize efficiency.

If you have a creative, out-of-the-box employee, they might struggle to complete more detail-oriented tasks. Introverts likely aren't eager to pitch ideas to clients.

Instead, assign your organized employees to rule-intensive tasks and extroverts to client-related assignments.

Learning how to match each employee to specific tasks can ensure the right person is on the job.

As an employee, however, you need to prepare yourself to say "no." If a task doesn't suit your skill set, ask your employer why they think you're best for the job. They might not realize you lack the skill set or experience for the task.

Start Delegating More

Employers don't need to have a hand in every task. Trying to take on too much can impact your own work performance. You might struggle to find time for larger tasks only you can complete.

Instead, give an employee the chance to build their own skill set or gain leadership experience.

As they grow, your company will, too.

Learn How to Communicate

One of the biggest issues that can impact productivity levels is your team's ability to communicate.

A lack of communication could cause problems to grow and fester over time. Encourage your employees to remain honest and transparent. Try to enforce an open door policy.

Ensuring they communicate can help you find more productive solutions to these problems.

Make sure they have the tools to communicate efficiently, too. For example, you might use networking tools like Slack instead of filling everyone's inboxes with unnecessary emails.

You can find more tips for cleaning up your inbox here.

Use Incentives

Is your team working hard or hardly working? You can improve efficiency company-wide by offering more incentives.

Determine how you want to reward your team for their hard work. For example, you might consider:

  • Public recognition
  • Displays of gratitude
  • Taking them out for a meal
  • Company happy hour
  • A gift card
  • Paid time off
  • A handwritten note
  • A workplace wellness program

Make sure you're choosing incentives your employees actually want.

Cut Unnecessary Tasks

If your employees are focused on completing a larger goal, don't weigh them down with smaller, less important tasks. Instead, give them time to focus on high-priority assignments.

Try to automate these smaller tasks using technology instead.

Focus on Training

Help boost your team's work performance by training and developing your team. Training your team can expand their capabilities, increasing productivity. They won't have to work twice as hard to complete tasks with zero guidance.

Instead, they can gain the skills they need to complete larger, more complex tasks on their own.

Employers won't have to waste time answering questions or correcting otherwise costly mistakes, too.

Encourage continued employee development. For example, you can provide your team access to:

  • Workshops
  • Shadowing or mentoring opportunities
  • Individual coaching
  • Courses
  • Seminars

Once your employees gain additional skills, their productivity levels will improve.

Embrace Telecommuting

Your employees no longer need to work in a stuffy office to remain productive.

The average employee is only productive for 2 hours and 53 minutes a day. Within a single hour, employees get interrupted about seven times. Each interruption steals about five minutes of their working time.

On average, people in a workplace get interrupted every eight minutes. As a result, businesses notice a decrease in productivity levels.

Within an eight-hour workday, an employee could lose up to four hours of work due to these distractions.

Nearly 50% of people find working in a team incredibly tricky due to different work styles. Allowing your employees to work remotely or telecommute could improve efficiency at productivity.

In fact, 83% of workers believe they don't have to work in an office to remain productive.

In fact, over two-thirds of employers have seen increased productivity among remote workers.

Encourage your employees to work from home. If you're not ready to switch to remote work completely, allow it one or two days out of the week.

Offer and Accept Feedback

Your employees won't grow if they don't recognize they're being inefficient in the first place.

Schedule routine performance reviews. Show your employees where they're excelling and where they need to improve.

Helping them grow can improve their work performance over time.

Don't expect your employees to read your thoughts. Instead, remain honest by providing feedback.

As an employee, don't hesitate to ask for feedback, too. Try not to take the feedback you receive personally. Instead, ask how you can improve on your shortcomings.

Create a culture of open, honest dialogue for your entire team.

Employers, try to remember you're not perfect. Try to find ways to improve as the boss, too.

Ditch Digital Devices

Checking social media accounts throughout the day can impact everyone's productivity levels. You can improve your productivity levels by minimizing access to personal digital devices.

Employers might want to consider blocking certain sites at work, too.

Otherwise, consider downloading and using productivity apps. These apps will allow employees access to work-related sites only. They can begin focusing more on necessary tasks and less on distractions.

Take Breaks

Burnout can impact your team's work performance as well.

Encourage your team to take breaks. Otherwise, they might hit mental roadblocks as they work on projects. Even a small roadblock can seep hours of productivity out of their day.

They could get frustrated, agonize over a simple project, and experience costly delays.

If they feel stuck on a project and can't name headway, their energy levels might deplete as well. Their work efficiency could grind to a halt as a result.

Instead, encourage your team to take breaks when they're feeling stuck.

Turn their attention to a different task for a moment. Adjusting their focus could help change their state of mind. When they return to the larger progress, they might feel ready to tackle it with a new perspective.

Improve the Environment

Your team's work environment could have a major impact on their ability to focus as well.

Consider making changes to your office this year. For starters, remove clutter (which can cause anxiety). Consider putting up artwork or playing music that can boost everyone's mood.

Otherwise, make sure to provide your team with water and healthy snacks to keep their bodies fit and minds right.

Get To It: Improve Efficiency at Work for Your Entire Team Today

Don't let your team's productivity levels plummet this year. Instead, use these tips to improve efficiency at work. With these tips, you can increase productivity and boost your bottom line.

Get growing with these tips today!

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