As a small business owner, you should realize that productivity levels will make all the difference in terms of overall profitability. Unfortunately, a majority of employees only devote a fraction of their time to duties for which you hired them. The rest of their time is wasted on social media platforms or distracted by other activities. When working hours are not spent doing business-critical work or are wasted due to delays and inefficiencies, your business not only suffers losses but also loses employee engagement.
All these factors are detrimental as they decrease your company’s productivity. Considering there are financial implications for a company operating below expectation, there are practices that entrepreneurs can implement to boost productivity levels in the workplace.
Allow me to expound.
1. Improve Efficiency
The first step of increasing efficiency is to understand how you run your small business and be open to the possibility of changing how you do things. It is essential to remember that, particularly in a small business, making short goals is important as it helps the business prioritize these short-term goal tasks to drive the company to achieve the long-term goals.
However, to improve the chances of achieving long-term goals, a company must be efficient.
Is there a better way for employees to organize their days so that they can meet their everyday objectives? Provide each employee with a schedule and enable them to make a list to ensure that they complete priority tasks on time and remain focused throughout the day.
Additionally, you could invest in tools that improve workflow. For instance, investing in a small business contract management software helps a business streamline the contract process, from the time they are created throughout their lifecycle. Depending on your scope of work, you can make use of various tools to improve efficiency.
2. Employ People with The Right Skills
It goes without saying, having the right technical skills is crucial in the smooth running of any business. A fact is that an experienced and capable professional completes work much faster than someone who is still learning the trade.
Soft skills are also important. An individual with excellent interpersonal skills has good communication skills, and a good sense of team responsibility is more likely to be more efficient as compared to other employees.
Despite this being a reality in many companies, do not be inclined to blame the employees’ productivity problems on their lack of experience or skills. Having the right skills is only a bonus as also the most experienced team members can fail to function efficiently if they are experiencing difficulties in the workplace. As such, to improve productivity levels in people with the right skills, you must create a healthy working environment, among other things.
3. Delegate Tasks Wisely
Still, on employee skill sets, the importance of delegating tasks wisely cannot be over-emphasized. It is vital to bear in mind the employees’ skills, capabilities, and behavior to maximize productivity. For instance, an introverted employee who exhibits higher creativity levels is the appropriate person to think of ideas and pitch them to investors or customers. On the other hand, an outgoing employee is best-suited for the marketing department and front office management.
As a small business entrepreneur do not be restricted to the two examples above. It is inefficient to expect your workers to be great at everything; instead, get to know your employees and assign them tasks which they will excel at. If not, look for someone else whose abilities and personality are a good fit for your business requirements.
4. Motivate the squad by incorporating team-building activities.
Mutual trust among team members has a significant impact on efficiency. When team members get along well, mindful of each other’s strengths and limitations, it automatically creates a positive working environment.
If everyone on the team is satisfied, the team’s productivity and performance will naturally increase. Yet, since working environments consist of employees from all walks of life, there is a good chance that not everybody will get along well. This is where team-building activities come in handy.
Taking a weekend off from work to engage in team-building activities is a sure-fire way to unite employees and build strong professional relationships. It will not only add a friendly aspect, but it will also fix any grudges or miscommunications problems between employees. Besides, when the managerial team interacts with the junior staff in team-building activities, it mends the rift between them and encourages better communication.
5. Minimize Distractions
Social media is a great platform for socializing. However, it can be a massive productivity killer when abused. Employees who are on social media sites during working hours are unproductive, which is detrimental to the overall success of a business. Since it is unethical and an infringement of personal rights to confiscate mobile phones during working hours, instead, encourage them to switch off their mobile devices during office hours, but take breaks where they are free to check them. As a result, the time they spend at their workstations becomes more productive.
6. Provide The Necessary Tools and Equipment
Business owners need to provide workers with the appropriate resources and equipment. Doing so allows employees to complete their tasks as required.
Take the example of an office without a fast printer.
In case employees need to print in bulk, they have to wait for a significant amount of time for the printer to complete its assigned task. This translates to time wastage which has a negative impact on company productivity.
Providing your employees with the right resources is not only good for your employee but also in improving the credibility of the business. The modern consumer is always looking to engage in business with companies with the latest technological advancements, as these equipment are efficient.
Conclusion
These are some of the factors that allow small businesses to increase productivity. As a small business entrepreneur, incorporate these strategies in your company and it is only a matter of time before you see results.
