We live in a digital age and as such, most companies nowadays need digital technologies to operate successfully. However, it can happen that poor use of the said technology or an outdated tech can actually minimise the overall productivity in the office. If you too have been noticing a productivity drop within your team recently, it might be the right time to evaluate the technologies you use and the way you use them. After all, just a couple of simple and easy tech tweaks can result in a productivity boost.
1. Address the Tech Performance
At the point of equipping your office, the technology you chose to use might have been the best available at the time. However, technological advances and upgrades happen constantly and continuously, and if you haven’t upgraded your own office tech for more than four years, chances are that the gadgets you now use are outdated. And outdated tech can only slow down your workers, thus minimising their overall productivity. That said, your first task should be to talk to your employees about potential tech issues they’re facing as well as evaluating the technologies you all use to check whether there’s a newer and more efficient version available on the market. This is especially important for businesses that heavily rely on tech use, such as website design or web development companies, as you can’t expect great results with mediocre machinery.
2. Manage Communication Channels
It’s only natural that your employees have to talk with one another as well as keep communication open between different teams and departments. Then again, using too many different communication channels can actually reduce productivity at the workplace. That said, it would be best to choose one channel for business-related correspondence and one for all other chats that don’t have anything to do with work per se. That way, there won’t be too much confusion within the office and employees will know what channel to focus on based on its importance. Before, it could happen that some chats go unchecked even though they may contain important info about work just because the receiver believes it’s something meaningless purely for chatting. This new tweak will minimise such issues and potential project delays.
3. Increase Your Data Security
Did you know that ignoring software updates could result in a data breach? Cyberthreats are real and it’s crucial that you protect your business from them. Could you imagine the damage and productivity loss if your company had to deal with data leaks or system viruses? You might even lose all of your data. That said, keep all of your software updated and make sure that you backup all of your data regularly. What’s more, make it a point to have a functional antivirus. You can’t run a business on a free antivirus version, so make sure to get a full package. Regardless of your budget, cybersecurity is not an area to try to be frugal with.
4. Keep Your Office in Order
While tech updates are essential for a productivity boost in the workplace, there are always those little details that aren’t tech-related per se but can hugely affect the further use of your equipment and generally slow down the productivity and work if not tended to properly. Yes, it’s all about the business office supplies. Things such as pens, pencils, printing paper, staplers, folders, ink, motorized blinds and so on are all essential parts of every functional office no matter how involved the business is in contemporary technology. That said, it’s crucial that you have a well-established relationship with a supplier and someone to rely on when things such as printers and scanners need an upgrade. What’s more, keep your physical supplies neatly organised so that your employees can find everything they need without breaking their concentration.
5. Outsource Appropriate Tasks
Every industry has different tasks and responsibilities to deal with but the fact of the matter is that every business will always have certain tasks that have to be done but don’t actually relate to the actual job. As mentioned, taking care of office supplies as well as repairing and dealing with printers, scanners, and other equipment are all things that require time and effort, and you don’t want your employees to waste time and nerves on these unproductive tasks. Outsourcing tasks that aren’t essential for your business such as online marketing, for example, is also a great way to focus on the productivity of your in-house employees. Thanks to the digital age we live in, you won’t be limited to your geographical area when looking for more Internet-based jobs to outsource.
6. Automate Repetitive Processes
Similarly to outsourcing tasks that don’t have a lot to do with the employees’ roles and duties, there are also plenty of tasks that everyone in the office has to do every single day. These are known as repetitive processes and often involve password checkups for logging into the necessary systems, keeping track of work time for specific clients/projects, and so on. Instead of leaving it all to your employees to do manually, you can opt for tools that can automate these processes, such as password management or time management tools, that will do the work automatically for them. With these tasks automated, your employees will be able to focus on their own work without distractions. And when they don’t have to break concentration to, let’s say, fill in the time they worked on something, their productivity will increase significantly.
It’s not necessary to do a full 180 in your office when even the simple and easy tech tweaks can help you deal with the current situation and make sure everyone is experiencing productivity peaks every single day. Not only will your employees be more satisfied but your business will show better results as well.
Eve Anderson is a marketing specialist turned blogger. Interested in sports and exciting travel destinations. Love to share content that can inform people.
This article does not constitute legal advice.
The opinions expressed in the column above represent the author’s own.
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