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Consistent efficiency is a major source of success. If you can achieve this, you’ll gain a huge edge over your competitors in the industry. Yet, inspiring steady productivity in your employees is a daunting challenge.
We understand that this is a challenge most HR experts, managers, and business owners don’t know how to approach. We’ve created a brief guide to help you improve work efficiency and boost sales.
Continue reading to learn more about efficiency in the workplace and how to boost it to reach your company’s goals.
What “Efficiency in the Workplace” Means
Unlike sales and engagement, efficiency in the workplace isn’t something we can define or measure easily. The best way to describe efficiency in the workplace is to look at how much work each employee completes within a given period.
Of course, “workplace” can refer to Work From Home, an on-site office, and everything in between. The emergence of various COVID-19 strains and mutations keeps most people hovering between the workplace and WFH, after all.
Workplace Efficiency vs. Effectiveness
A quick look at a digital or printed thesaurus will tell you that efficiency is synonymous with effectiveness. Many people even use the terms interchangeably.
However, if you want to be more technical, workplace effectiveness refers to the use of the employee’s resources to make a critical difference in the company. In short, your teams aren’t merely surviving another workday. Instead, they’re thriving and pushing the business to thrive as a result.
Workplace efficiency has a similar connotation with the integration of your company’s profits. It refers to employees doing the most work or tasks within a set time or with the smallest possible volume of resources used. For example, your team properly and thoroughly finishes a week’s worth of work within three days.
Strategies for Improving Workplace Efficiency
Below, we’ve listed down the best ways to boost efficiency in the workplace.
Provide Breaks Regularly Throughout the Day
One of the top ways to improve productivity or efficiency at work is to give your employees or yourself regular breaks. Use this time to reset and realign yourself.
For example, employees who often have to deal with client complaints and calls can use the time to distract themselves from the negativity. Those who need intensive focus to accomplish their work may also use the break to relax and let their minds wander.
Some ways to spend these regular breaks include:
- Climbing social networks with the Movavi video converter
- Take a quick power nap
- Do a quick 5-minute jog or exercise to get the blood flowing
These breaks can last 10-20 minutes each and change schedules every week or month to avoid predictability.
Use a Calendar to Get Organized
Do you unknowingly waste time at work? Consider how often you use your time to prepare for a task at work. For example, you might spend five minutes looking for information on a client or a new task.
Reduce those five minutes wasted to zero with a time management tool like your calendar. The moment you get the details on a new task, write them down on your calendar. You can also set calendar alarms to remind you of a due date or a meeting.
Avoid Multitasking
Multitasking is more counterproductive than it’s beneficial. It requires you to split your focus into different tasks instead of one job. The requirements for each task may overlap and cause you to make mistakes.
Remember: one thing at a time is more efficient. Plus, you give each job 100% instead of 50% or 33% only with this approach.
Use the Power of Technology to Get Things Done
The great thing about working in this era is that you can easily use technology to your advantage. For example, you don’t need to take notes with pen and paper anymore. Consider talking to a smart assistant like Google Assistant or Siri and ask them to open the recorder app or take notes.
The same applies to meetings and troubleshooting. Have you thought about how much easier it’ll be to conduct meetings online instead of in-person, even when you’re at the office? It’s great for short meetings or quick troubleshooting concerns.
Consider automating menial tasks with productivity software or an automation program. This way, your employees can use their efforts and resources on more demanding tasks.
Photo by Chris Montgomery on Unsplash
Conclusion
Efficiency in the workplace is easy to attain if you use the correct approach. Although it is interchangeable with effectiveness, workplace efficiency focuses more on doing the job well using the smallest amount of resources.
In summary, you can boost efficiency in the workplace by providing more breaks, cutting out multitasking, organizing with calendars, and utilizing the latest productivity technologies we have today.
