Six ways to fix inefficiency at work
Inefficiency in the workplace leads to poor productivity and low morale. The good news is it can be easy to fix. Here's how.
We've all heard the saying 'familiarity breeds contempt' – but what about 'inefficiency breeds low morale, a drop in productivity and, sometimes, chaos'?
Probably not so much – but it's true.
The problem with inefficiency in the workplace is that it forms part of a vicious cycle. Demotivation and dissatisfaction at work lead to inefficiency which causes low productivity, which loops you straight back round to demotivation again.
Untangle work with Workplace
From informing everyone about the return to the office to adopting a hybrid way of working, Workplace makes work more simple.
According to Forbes, just 30% of US workers can wholeheartedly say that they feel inspired and engaged in their work.
More disturbing is the fact that a further 18% are actively disengaged with their work, and find it stressful, frustrating or pointless.
So, how do you break out of the cycle and maximise performance? Here are some ideas.
Start sharing
People can waste huge amounts of time and become frustrated when the knowledge that they need to do their work isn't easily available.
To maximise performance, you need ways to release information from silos. From improving document storage to enabling people to access quick answers to key questions, better knowledge-sharing means greater workplace efficiency.
The right technology can help. Organisations use groups in Workplace to store information, share it and get work done.
Groups enable people to share and collaborate on documents, assign tasks, share feedback, tag colleagues and post updates.
You can also use these groups to share or exchange documents directly – or via integrations with tools such as Box and SharePoint.
And your team can use them as the centrepiece of your professional relationships and your projects by integrating Workplace with project management tools such as Jira Cloud.
Stop micromanaging
It might feel as if monitoring employees' every move is improving efficiency, but it's often counter-productive.
Micromanaging can add unnecessary steps to a process and make people feel that they're not trusted. Both of these can sap morale.
Building open and transparent communities within your organisation is an important first step. Being open by default helps break down organisational silos and boundaries and gives people quicker access to the information that they need.
And it also helps everyone feel more connected to your company mission and their coworkers.
Maximise diversity
Having teams that reflect the diversity of your customer base can act as a boost to efficiency.
According to LinkedIn's Global Recruiting Trends 2018 report, 78% of hiring managers consider diversity to be extremely important. And 62% focus on it as a way of improving company performance.
Encouraging collaboration within a diverse team, where each person can learn from – and teach their colleagues in equal measure – is vital in boosting workplace efficiency.
Give feedback.
To become more efficient, people need to understand what they can do better. Providing your people with regular, tailored and constructive feedback is a way of helping them improve their performance and can boost engagement too.
Managers use one-to-one private groups as a place to provide this feedback, as well as manage their ongoing annual reviews.
Be flexible
Having employees present in the workplace all day every day doesn't necessarily make for greater efficiency.
People can make more of their time if they're able to work on the move, and sometimes working from home can be more productive than being in the workplace.
Having mobile-enabled collaboration tools means that you and your remote workers can easily stay in touch.
Workplace Chat connects employees wherever they are. People use it to share and collaborate on files, to communicate with GIFs, stickers, emojis or an iconic thumbs-up.
They send voice clips, run polls and they share where they are when they're on the move or they're working from home.
And you'll be surprised at what giving your employees the freedom and flexibility to work remotely for one or two days a week can do for your business.
Manage your time
Efficiency is all about achieving your goals with the least waste of time. Time-saving can boost engagement too, with people less likely to find themselves working late.
To manage your time more efficiently, look at the way that you communicate and collaborate. Are your people drowning in emails or attending unnecessary meetings?
With tools such as Workplace, you can target communication to where it's really needed and help people find smarter, more familiar and more effective ways to work.
That means that people can spend less time on processes that don't work or systems that don't talk to each other. They can spend more time on the things that they enjoy.
And that means happier people and greater efficiencies and productivity.
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