Employees are at their desk most days of the week and companies pay for the time that an employee spends there. However, far too often, the amount of work time an employee puts in doesn’t match up to the amount of work they churn out. How do you make your employees more efficient? Read on to find out.
1. Don’t be too strict with the Internet, Entrepreneur suggests. Companies do this because they’re afraid their employees will take advantage of the free WiFi and limitless websites. However, when employees have the full Internet at their disposal, they’ll be able to use all available resources and in turn get their job completed quicker.
2. Give your employees “brain breaks.” Managers should understand that everyone is human and needs time to let their brain recuperate. Every hour, employees should be encouraged to take a five minute break away from their computer. They should also know that it’s okay to conduct a bit of personal business a couple of times a day if they feel they need a short break from work to refresh.
3. Treat your employees like family. Work families, like real families, are varied and have a lot of personalities that need to get along. This doesn’t mean you should forgive them if they continue to mess up in the same way over and over again, though. Instead, it means that no matter how you feel about them personally, you should always support your employees.
4. Know the backgrounds of your employees. This will help you figure out what to expect from each employee and what you can ask of from them. A college student who works during the evening won’t be available during the day. If you send them home with extra work, it’s not going to get done well. A person who works through the day and who has two children at home to take care of won’t be able to be efficient by working late – they’ll be thinking about the family life they’re missing at home.
5. Regularly retrain your employees. It’s difficult for an employee to perform well if they don’t know how to do their job well. Being unprepared can be confusing, frustrating and embarrassing. Nobody likes not knowing what to do. When you remind employees of what’s expected of them and how they can accomplish this efficiently, they’ll have the confidence and skills to work smarter.
6. Offer incentives. Even small incentives will make a big difference. For example, a $10 gift card will show employees that you truly value their time and effort. It’s the thought, not the amount, that’s important.
