Every minute spent in your business is crucial. Yet have you had a proper look at just how much time you might be wasting? If you did, the facts might shock you. Businesses lose hours every day due to distraction, workforce problems, and inefficient practices. Here, we’ll identify four time wasters that could be doing a lot more damage to you than you think.
Miscommunication
A misdelivered message here, a poorly understood objective there. It might seem like the problems of miscommunication start small, but they build into a culture of ineffective management that leads to errors and emergency fixes time and time again. One of the reasons miscommunication has become so common is the dependence on indirect communication. Emails and instant messengers might be useful ways to deliver information quickly. But if you aren’t implementing proper ways to manage and retain that information, it can get lost in the hectic to-and-fro of the working day easily. Make sure you establish a rule of organizing emails so that people no longer miss that vital info amidst the rest.
The hour-long meetings
Too much direct communication can be just as much of a problem as too much indirect communication. A lot of business owners want to catch up with their team and keep them abreast of the latest developments. However, getting comprehensive can often overload a team meeting to levels that it’s a lot more for any one person to deal with. If they have to sit through thirty minutes of discussion that’s irrelevant to them, they will disengage and fail to hear even the relevant parts. Make sure you have a proper agenda and use a questioning method to find out which topics are worth a team meeting and which should be saved for one-to-one or smaller group chats.
Employee health issues
One of the bigger impacts on the productivity of a business is the availability of an employee. When it comes to their health, you can’t exactly blame them for getting sick or injured. You can, however, prepare for it and help them avoid it. By tackling health issues in the workplace with tactics like health assessments by Health Assured, you can identify potential problems before they arise. Then you can use flexible working conditions or change their workload to cope better with their individual risks.
Tech troubles
Another serious drain on time is the health of your tech. If you have an extensive network, or even a collection of separate PCs you need to treat them as you would a fleet of cars. They need regular maintenance, preventative protection, and a tech-savvy service at the ready to repair them. Keeping your tech manageable is essential. Otherwise, your employees will find their most vital tools breaking down when they need them most. You should also implement rules for tech distraction. For instance, set hours in which social media and email management aren’t allowed, so they’re not impeding in their workflow.
Every aspect of the business needs to be fighting fit, from your staff to your tech and even the lines of communication. We hope the tips above help you iron out the issues that are keeping your business from reaching its true potential.
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