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Efficiency is always a vital issue in the office but it’s difficult to know exactly how you can maximize it on a daily basis. In an age when productivity seems to be declining as fewer employees feel engaged with their work, boosting efficiency has never been more important. If you’re unsure of how to save time and streamline your office, here are a few practical business tips on how to make your workplace more productive than ever. Keep reading to maximize your office efficiency.
Take Advantage of Tech
As technology becomes irreversibly integrated into our offices, it’s vital that we make sure we’re taking advantage of everything our new systems and gadgets have to offer. This doesn’t only mean having the equipment but also using it to its maximum potential. Workplace software is now available that can completely transform your project management systems making it much easier to manage group projects, delegate tasks and communicate with collaborators. Gone are the days when our inboxes are overflowing with unmanageable threads and our phones are ringing off the hook; now you can manage all of your projects in the same place.
But how do you know what software is right for your workplace? Well, it really comes down to figuring out what you need from an online system and then deciding whether you want a basic free package or an in-depth tool like kanban software. If you’re wondering what is kanban software, or have never used project management software before, then don’t panic, as the best interfaces are always user-friendly and highly intuitive. It doesn’t take a tech genius to work these programmes; they’re designed to be accessible to everyone in your office.
Embrace Collaboration
When some people think of an efficient workplace, they imagine a room of individual people working on solo projects without speaking to each other at all. This idea comes from the cultural notion that talking is wasting time, and the best way to get work done is to do it alone. However, this could not be further from the truth, as research shows that we come up with our best ideas and work with the most energy when we are working with others. Although a collaborative workplace may not fit with the traditional idea of efficiency, giving it a try could have a huge impact on your productivity.
There a wide range of reasons for the positive effects of collaboration, one of which is the ‘two heads are better than one’ theory. Rather than sitting alone at a desk agonizing over a problem, we can talk it through with colleagues and come up with a collective solution. In this situation, stress is reduced, tasks are shared and motivation goes up. All of these things lead to an increase in efficiency and a level of staff engagement that is likely to create long-term change.
Don’t Get Glued to a Desk
There is a myth that the longer you sit at your desk, the more productive you are. However, when you really think about it, this doesn’t make sense at all. We’ve all experienced that slump when we’ve been at a desk for six hours straight, and it’s important to not ignore it. When your body and mind feel tired or uncomfortable, you’re not at your most productive. Encouraging your staff to take a walk, have regular breaks and generally be more active will boost morale, energy levels and efficiency, making your office healthier and more vibrant.
Paying attention to the health of your staff might seem like a bonus, but it’s actually essential for the entire workplace to function well. A business is nothing without its staff, so it’s vital that everyone in the office is avoiding the dangers of sitting down for too long. One way to do this is to allow staff to work from laptops in different parts of the office, so they can move around and be more active than they would be on a desktop computer. This working environment will make your employees more energized and productive.
If efficiency is a looming issue in your office, it might be time to think outside of the box and find alternative solutions. For those of us who have worked in an office environment for a long time, it’s easy to get stuck in an efficiency rut, where we’re unable to see how we can approach tasks differently and transform our workplace environment. By trying some of the methods mentioned above, you might find yourself in a much more efficient office that values staff engagement just as much as it does productivity.
