Increasing workplace productivity is something of a holy grail in the business world. Ironically, many of the most deeply-held beliefs about productivity in the workplace are actually contrary to how human beings tend to work best. Rather than increasing productivity, they are actually counter-productive. Here are 5 tips to help genuinely increase workplace productivity.
Cut meetings
While some meetings can certainly be important, meetings are often over-used for purposes that just aren’t necessary. When it comes to problem-solving or strategizing, two heads are certainly better than one and pulling a team together to get multiple perspectives on a problem can be an advantage. On the other hand, every minute that an employee spends updating a supervisor on their progress – not to mention listening to 3-10 other people do the same – is a minute they are not spending actually making progress. Online collaboration through cloud-based platforms like Google Drive, Office 365 and OneDrive can keep everyone on the same page while significantly reducing the time spent in meetings.
Keep it in the cloud
Cloud computing is becoming more popular than ever before. With a wider and wider selection of services available, competition is even driving prices down. Cloud-based storage allows businesses to store files in one central location that can be accessed and shared by employees around the globe. Cloud storage also offers additional layers of constantly updated security, making it safer and more secure than ever before.
Delete drive time
A 2011 report from the Texas A&M Transportation Institute found that Americans wasted an average of $818 each just sitting in traffic, resulting in a total cost of just over $121 Billion. That’s not including the invisible cost of the 56 billion pounds of carbon dioxide being released into the atmosphere.
With an average commute time of between 30-90 minutes each way, an 8 hour shift worker actually has to devote up to 12 hours of their day to their job. With the growing range of online services such as cloud-based storage and video conference features, more and more employees are able to spend more time working remotely. This not only cuts down significantly on commute time, it also saves money and is even better for the environment.
Use business management software made just for you
Perhaps one of the most useful developments in the digital age is the vast variety of customized industry-specific management software that has become available. Whether you are a dentist, doctor, lawyer, baker or builder, there is management software available just for you. Whether you need to track sales, hours or mileage on a fleet of vans or generate invoices, contracts or purchase orders for 10,000 buttons, there is a software program available that can help you do just that.
Use bookkeeping software
Small business, in particular, can gain enormous benefits by using internet-based accounting software. Today’s digital accounting software is capable of extracting information from a wide variety of sources, including point-of-sale devices and online payments and immediately reconciling it with online banking. It can create budgets and actuals and even generate invoices, quotes, and automated reports. Many programs have easy-to-read dashboards that keep you in touch with up-to-the-minute accounting and makes filing income tax returns a breeze!
Encourage the use of personal productivity apps
Most businesses are a conglomerate of individuals, so business productivity is generally enhanced by personal productivity. There are a number of productivity apps available to help your individual employees achieve peak productivity each day. From apps like Rescue Time that help you track how much time you spend on a certain website each day or working in a certain program to apps like Flat Tomato that help you set and achieve productivity goals, encouraging your employees to use personal productivity apps will help increase business productivity overall.
Today’s business productivity is about streamlining the widest number of tasks into one smooth, seamless workflow. While it may take a bit of time to get everyone up and running on new software and get all of your programs integrated together to function and one smooth, solid unit, the time you will save in the long run should make it more than worth the effort.