by Lina Martinez
Do you have issues with productivity in your business model? If you’re running a solo business, productivity is a measurement of how long it takes you to complete tasks and jobs throughout the day. It’s quite easy to know whether you’re keeping things productive in this type of business model. If you’re not productive, you will be falling behind with your business goals and profits will most likely dwindle. But, in a broader business model, it’s hard to know whether you are achieving your maximum level of productivity. That’s why you should always start with the assumption that you’re not and go from there.
Businesses are never as productive as they can be and there are always steps you can take to improve the situation. The problem is if you run a large business you might not be aware what these steps are, but we can help you there. To find out how to improve levels of productivity, we first need to consider what’s causing the issue in the first place. So, let’s take a look at some of the areas where productivity can deteriorate.
Working Hard Or Hardly Working?
You might think that you have a team of workers that you can trust and rely on to deliver their best work at the optimum rate. But can you really rely on these individuals? It’s possible that they are hard workers, but that doesn’t mean they are maximizing their level of productivity as there are various things that can go wrong.
For instance, you might have a problem with RSI in your business office. According to studies RSI or repetitive strain injury is the most common form of injury in the workplace today. When you’re thinking about keeping your office safe for workers, you're probably look at whether there are loose wires on the floor. You should instead be focused on what those wires are connected to. Yep, it’s the computers that cause the issue. These days, employees spend much of the working day staring at a screen typing vigorously on a keyboard and hardly ever step away from their desk. This is exactly what causes RSI. Why is this a problem?
Pain in the upper limbs will make it more difficult for employees to work rapidly. That’s why, somewhat ironically, the best way to keep your employees productive is to make sure that they are taking breaks. You don’t have to go overboard here but giving them a few minutes every hour might just be enough to keep things operating smoothly.
Of course, pain isn’t the only issue that can cause a lower level of productivity in your workforce. You might find that it’s an issue with skill and expertise. This is particularly prominent in teams where the workers aren’t regularly freshened up with new recruits. No new ideas enter the model, and everything becomes a little too stagnant. The answer?
It’s always worth investing in training up your team to keep their eye on the ball and make sure that they are reaching their maximum potential.
Trouble With Tech Is It’s Nothing But Trouble
Tech is both your greatest weapon as a business owner and indeed your most significant liability. With the right tech, businesses thrive and you’ll see that, if you investigate the market, some big businesses invest in new technology to stay ahead of the curve. This is something that you should consider if you have the money in your budget.
But a lot can go wrong with tech, and when it does, it will have an impact on productivity. So, let’s take a look and figure out what some of the issues are.
First, you do need to be aware of old tech. Old tech is a problem, and it causes what can be considered a miniature slowdown. Take an old computer as an example. An old computer will take longer to load than a new one that is up and running in seconds. Old computers can take ten minutes, and that’s ten minutes where your team isn’t being productive. Now, if you have ten computers and ten employees working at them, you’re actually losing a whole hour through the day. You can start to see the problem with old tech, and that’s why you should have a system in place to replace old devices.
This can be an issue with ‘bring your device to work’ models as there’s no guarantee everyone in the office is up to date with the latest tech.
As well as miniature issues there are also problems with tech that impact your whole business model. Things like data management, cloud servers and processing can all lead to massive issues with productivity if they are not handled effectively. Ultimately, it’s going to lead to the cogs in your business turning a lot slower than they should be and that’s an issue because it gives the competition a chance to get ahead.
However, with companies like iConnect, this doesn’t have to a problem. They can handle every aspect of your IT setup for you and ensure that you are staying as productive as possible, avoiding the issues that could cause a slowdown.
Are You Really The Boss?
Finally, you do need to think about whether you are managing your business effectively? As the boss or indeed, the manager, it is your job to make sure that everything is operating efficiently and effectively in the business model. You should be overseeing everything and know when to give employees freedom or give them the boot up the backside that they need. It’s a difficult balancing act, and if you don’t succeed here, your company will flounder in the waters of low productivity.
Part of the puzzle for effective management is to make sure that you are connected with your employees, delivering them goals and making sure that they do accomplishment. A hands-off business may seem like a dream situation, but it probably isn’t going to be as profitable as you might hope.