4 ways to make your team more efficient and how they impact your company

Every person on your team makes an impact to your company, whether good, bad, or otherwise. But when has “good” ever been enough? LeBron James doesn’t earn $30 million a year because he’s good. A restaurant doesn’t become your favorite because it’s good. And a successful company doesn’t become successful because they hire good employees.

What is the key to making good employees great?

Efficiency.

Here are 5 ways to help increase efficiency among your team and how they positively impact your company:

1. Allow flexible work schedules or telecommuting

As freeways continue to become more congested, commutes continue to grow longer, and life, well, continues to happen, job flexibility and work-life balance is becoming just as important as a high salary.

With better technologies, telecommunications apps, and productivity tools, more companies have started to create cultures that support flexible and remote opportunities for their employees.

A study by the Stanford Graduate school of Business showed that working from home increased performance by 13 percent. Flex workers have a higher rate of communication since they are continually checking in with teammates to ensure their tasks are aligned with overall goals.

Flexibility benefits the company because they save on (or even eliminate) overhead expenses for onsite employees. Flexible work schedules and telecommuting increases workforce health and decreases the amount of time employees take sick leave.

The right technologies and processes in place ensure that remote employees not only stay on task, but that they have the ability to stay connected with their team.

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2. Set and track attainable goals

Your company isn’t the only thing that requires goals to be successful; your employees need them, too. Goal setting increases employee performance, boosting efficiency, while helping your team improve and grow.

You can’t measure what you don’t track. And if your company isn’t tracking metrics and performance, then it can’t maximize efficiency effectively. Tracking goals is an easy way to see how your employees are performing. Each employee should have role-specific goals that are both challenging, yet achievable.

3. Define roles and tasks

Sometimes the biggest reason employees are inefficient is because they don’t have a clear, defined path set for them. Without a structured understanding of their role, employees may try to fill in their time with menial tasks in an attempt to stay, or just look, busy.

Defining roles and tasks for each employee is critical, especially to small and midsize companies whose employees are more likely to wear many hats. Not only does creating role clarity benefit the employee, it benefits companies by preventing wasted time, increasing employee utilization, and eliminating duplicated tasks.

4. Implement open communication policies

Poor communication is like tooth decay. Completely preventable yet if left untreated, the infection can spread to the bones and continue to deteriorate your health.

Poor communication is a breeding ground for miscommunication, resulting in an increase of errors and unclear objectives and lowering employee morale, which is detrimental to a healthy culture.

Through transparency, employees have a greater understanding of company objectives and ensures that each employee is helping the company work towards achieving both short and long term goals. Implementing the policies and processes to ensure effective company-wide communication will create a positive working environment, boosting employee efficiency and decreasing turnover.

Talk to An Expert

If your business is searching for ways to increase efficiency among your team, but in need of expert advice to making smarter decisions and setting better goals, contact us today.