5 Ways To Marie Kondo Your Business For A Productivity Boost
Everyone has probably heard of Marie Kondo (and the KonMari method) by now. In the past year, she has become a household name with her catchphrase “Does it spark joy?”. Going by her wisdom, if something no longer has any value in your life, it is time to let go of it.
In fact, businesses could learn a thing or two from her about tidying up their operations.
Here are 5 ways to Marie Kondo your business for a productivity boost.
1. Get rid of clutter, and take care of your workplace environment
The most straightforward way to Marie Kondo your business is to tidy up the office space.
Studies have demonstrated that our physical environment has a significant effect on the way that we work, think and behave. When the environment is in a mess, so are we.
Clutter can also affect general mental health, stirring feelings of stress, anxiety, or depression. In a clutter-free environment, people are able to focus better and their productivity increased.
Very often, office desks are littered with tons of paper — invoices, physical receipts from transport, claims… the list goes on. Not just that, an organised space also makes it easier for you to find the documents that you actually need.
What are you waiting for? Say goodbye to digging through piles of junk — time to clean up!
2. Eliminate unnecessary processes to streamline your business
Unnecessary administrative work? Let’s be real, it most definitely does not spark joy!
A study has shown that managers in corporate environments spend almost two days every week on unnecessary administrative tasks that are not core to their jobs. As we all know, time is money. And that is a lot of time being wasted.
Administrative work like filing and tracking transport claims may be unavoidable for some companies but luckily, we live in the 21st century where tech solutions are aplenty. Many businesses have turned to cloud platforms to manage operations such as invoicing or even transport claims.
Utilizing a business transport platform like Grab for Business allows companies to better oversee their transport budget, handle trip policies and billing options all in one place. With no more filing of physical receipts or forms, the amount of time needed to sort this out is drastically reduced.
Your managers now have time to do the actual work they’ve been hired to do.
3. Get rid of paper documents, go digital!
Since the KonMari method revolves around discarding things that lack value, it’s time for businesses to do away with unnecessary things… like paper. It should come as no surprise that this is actually related to the two solutions mentioned above.
Firstly, going paperless eliminates a need for paper storage. You won’t have loose documents lying around messily if you don’t use paper.
Next, no paper means no paperwork. Digital solutions are easy to use: switching to e-invoices, notices and receipts frees up the time used to print, mail, and fill them out — time that could be used more productively elsewhere. Grab for Business allows HR to easily track employees’ transport expenses without having to sieve through physical claims.
More than that, digitization also makes it very easy for your employees to access and retrieve the necessary documents even if they are not in the office.
Climate change is real. Go digital. Save your productivity and some trees.
4. Remove hierarchical barriers to improve communications
While tidying, Marie Kondo encourages her clients to visualize the life they want to live and what they need to get there. For your employees, it’ll be having their voices heard at work.
When an employee feels heard, that person is almost 5 times more likely to feel empowered to perform their best.
Getting rid of hierarchical barriers between the management and staff can go a long way in facilitating meaningful dialogue. Good communication between management and employees leads to lower levels of labour turnover.
To boost productivity among your employees, those in managerial positions (including you!) should welcome all kinds of feedback and stay committed to making changes to improve things.
5. Say goodbye to rigidity, and hello to scheduling flexibility
You know what sparks joy? Work schedule flexibility. You know what work schedule flexibility sparks? Productivity.
Employees who work from home are much happier and more productive than their office worker peers. The freedom to organize their own schedules lets your employees factor in time to manage their family commitments too. All these contribute to a better work-life balance.
To be specific, it’s the freedom of choice to manage their own work lives (rather than being micromanaged) that helps improve employee satisfaction, mental health and by extension, productivity.
The KonMari method isn’t just about cleanliness, it’s also about transforming life by choosing things that have value.
It’s time to tidy up the processes at your company and spark some joy (and productivity) in your employees.
Ready to Marie Kondo your business? Start your free trial with Grab for Business today, or simply click here to learn more.
