Choosing the right accountant is an important decision. After all, accountants are trusted with your small business’ finances! Knowing how to find a good accountant doesn’t have to be difficult. We’ve listed all Efficiency in the workplace is integral to the success of your company – and even more so for a small business where every employee plays a significant role. By having the tools in place to maintain and improve workplace efficiency, you’ll be able to see the benefits of a productive workforce. We’ve listed our top tips below – take a read.
What is workplace efficiency?
Efficiency in the workplace is where employees complete their tasks in a good timeframe, with little to no mistakes, and without any wasted effort. A company’s culture, leadership and environment will all play a part in workplace efficiency.
How to improve workplace efficiency
There are some ways to improve workplace efficiency – this includes changes to company culture, management style, and ways of working. We’ve listed 10 ways to improve workplace efficiency below.
1. Prioritise tasks
If employees understand priority tasks, this can help them manage their workload in a way that’s efficient for them and meets deadlines.
2. Set realistic goals
Realistic goals will mean that employees will be able to reach said goals with ease and commit to deadlines.
3. Match tasks to employee’s skills
Similar to the above, knowing which tasks your employees are best at will mean that they’ll be able to reach their goals and complete tasks effectively. It’s a good idea to note the skills your employees excel in, so that you know what traits are needed for each task but to also know what skills might be missing from your team.
4. Invest in training
Onboarding training is, of course, standard practice for businesses. However, ensuring your employees are training continuously means they will feel more secure in their job performance. Regular training will also improve work output efficiency.
5. Take breaks
It’s important to encourage your staff to take regular breaks. This could be as simple as a coffee break with colleagues.
6. Simplify communication
Making sure communication is straightforward is key to clarity, and therefore effective work output, in the workplace. It’s a good idea to have clear communication frameworks in place to help with responsibilities and briefs.
7. Provide incentives
Incentives are a great way to motivate employees. This could include gift cards, time off, group activities and more.
8. Create a relaxing work environment
Creating a calm environment is key to efficiency in the workplace. Taking away any external stressors and making the space as inviting as possible will boost motivation too.
9. Maintain a healthy work-life balance
Ensure your workplace has frameworks in place to ensure a healthy work-life balance for your employees. This could be creating policies on working overtime that ensure avoiding burnout, for example.
10. Encourage feedback
Feedback not only helps you evaluate your employees’ work efficiency, but it also allows you to see where they wish for the company to improve. By then making these changes, it fosters a healthy work environment.
Why is it important to measure workplace efficiency?
Measuring workplace efficiency will benefit both your small business and your employee’s work lives. Here’s why measuring workplace efficiency is important:
Knowing your staff’s capabilities will lead to better performance.
You will know where each member of staff excels and where they fall short – and how this can be fixed. This leads to employee satisfaction but also streamlines work efficiency.
Streamlining hiring practices
If there are gaps that need to be filled, knowing how efficient your workplace is is the place to start. This will allow you to hire new talent or even provide training to existing staff
Managing business expectations
If managers successfully assess their employee’s efficiency in the workplace, it’s easier to asses the whole company’s performance.
How do you measure workplace efficiency?
Efficiency in the workplace is measured by calculating the input to output ratio. Input is what is needed for the work to be completed. Output is the amount of work that has been completed. By assessing this, employers will understand the time and effort it took for staff to get the job done.
We hope this article on how to improve workplace efficiency was helpful. It’s clear that assessing efficiency in the workplace not only aids business goals and saves costs, but it also ensures staff are happy at work!
Need guidance on managing finances for your small business? Contact one of our expert accountants! And see our guide on balance sheets, next.