6 ways to fix inefficiency at work

Inefficiency in the workplace leads to poor productivity and low morale. The good news is it can be easy to fix. Here’s how.

We’ve all heard the saying ‘familiarity breeds contempt’ — but what about ‘inefficiency breeds low morale, a drop in productivity and, sometimes, chaos’?

Probably not so much — but it’s true.

The problem with inefficiency in the workplace is that it forms part of a vicious cycle. Demotivation and dissatisfaction at work lead to inefficiency which causes low productivity which loops you right back round to demotivation again.

According to Forbes, just 30% of US workers can wholeheartedly say they feel inspired and engaged in their work.

More disturbing is the fact that a further 18% are actively disengaged with their work, and find it stressful, frustrating or pointless.

18% of workers are actively disengaged with their work, and find it stressful, frustrating or pointless

So, how do you break out of the cycle and maximize performance? Here are some ideas.

Start sharing

People can waste huge amounts of time and become frustrated when the knowledge they need to do their work isn’t easily available.

To maximize performance, you need ways to release information from silos. From improving document storage to enabling people to access quick answers to key questions, better knowledge-sharing means greater workplace efficiency.

The right technology can help. Organizations use Groups in Workplace to store information, share it, and get work done.

Groups enable people to share and collaborate on documents, assign tasks, share feedback, tag colleagues and post updates.

You can also use these groups to share or exchange documents directly — or via integrations with tools like Box and SharePoint.

And your team can use them as the centerpiece of your professional relationships and your projects by integrating Workplace with project management tools like Trello and Jira Cloud.

Stop micromanaging

It might feel as if monitoring employees’ every move is improving efficiency, but it’s often counter-productive.

Micromanaging can add unnecessary steps to a process and make people feel they’re not trusted. Both of these can sap morale.

Building open and transparent communities within your organization is an important first step. Being open by default helps break down organizational silos and boundaries and gives people quicker access to the information they need.

Being open by default helps break down organizational silos and boundaries

And it also helps everyone feel more connected to your company mission and their co-workers.

Maximize diversity

Having teams that reflect the diversity of your customer base can act as a boost to efficiency.

According to LinkedIn’s Global Recruiting Trends 2018 report, 78% of hiring managers consider diversity to be extremely important. And 62% focus on it as a way of improving company performance.

Encouraging collaboration within a diverse team, where each person can learn from — and teach their colleagues in equal measure — is vital in boosting workplace efficiency.

Collaboration within a diverse team is vital in boosting workplace efficiency

Give feedback

To become more efficient, people need to understand what they can do better. Providing your people with regular, tailored and constructive feedback is a way of helping them improve their performance and can boost engagement too.

Managers use one-to-one private Groups as a place to provide this feedback as well as manage their ongoing annual reviews.

Be flexible

Having employees present in the workplace all day every day doesn’t necessarily make for greater efficiency.

People can make more of their time if they’re able to work on the move, and sometimes working from home can be more productive than being in the workplace.

People can make more of their time if they’re able to work on the move

Having mobile-enabled collaboration tools means you and your remote workers can easily stay in touch.

Workplace Chat connects employees wherever they are. People use it to share and collaborate on files, to communicate with GIFs, stickers, emojis or an iconic thumbs-up.

They send voice clips, run polls, and they share where they are when they’re on the move or they’re working from home.

And you’ll be surprised at what giving your employees the freedom and flexibility to work remotely for one or two days a week can do for your business.

Manage your time

Efficiency is all about achieving your goals with the least waste of time. Time-saving can boost engagement too, with people less likely to find themselves working late.

To manage your time more efficiently, look at the way you communicate and collaborate. Are your people drowning in email or attending unnecessary meetings?

With tools like Workplace, you can target communication to where it’s really needed and help people find smarter, more familiar and more effective ways to work.

Using Workplace, people find smarter, more familiar and more effective ways to work

That means people can spend less time on processes that don’t work or systems that don’t talk to each other. They can spend more time on the things they enjoy.

And that means happier people and greater efficiencies and productivity.

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Originally published at www.workplace.com.