Every organization seeks to improve its employee productivity by incorporating different training and development strategies. Time management is an essential skill that is rarely found in most employees. It is a skill that isn’t necessarily innate but instead develops over time with proper guidance, procedures, and training. With so many distractions occurring in an average workplace environment, focusing on essential tasks can become quite tricky. This article looks at tips that management can incorporate to elevate employee time management skills that would effectively lead to better efficiency and increased productivity.
Maintaining timesheets
Keeping a record of how and where time is spent on a regular day can provide great insight into how time is being utilized at the office. Maintaining a timesheet will clearly show periods of productive work and areas where time was spent doing work that wasn’t entirely necessary and didn’t bring any value to the business. Even maintaining a timesheet for a few weeks can provide all the information one needs to figure out where time can be better utilized and what activities are consuming too much time that doesn’t benefit the business or its overall goals.
Working on a fixed schedule
By incorporating, a fixed schedule of tasks and activities to be carried out within the day is another method of increasing productivity. Fixed schedules can be a useful tool for time management, but only if the organization is well versed in knowing how long each task should take on average per employee. Fixed schedules can be used in the manufacturing sector, but it is a difficult thing to implement in businesses that are continually changing as such businesses require flexibility in their workforce that a fixed schedule does not allow. Fixed schedules, however, are beneficial to many businesses, it must be determined on a case-by-case basis.
Set milestones and objectives
Another way one can improve employees’ time management skills is by setting fixed deadlines, milestones, and objectives. This helps ensure that employees know the most critical tasks and how to best divide time to accomplish each task individually in the desired period. This is a relatively autocratic form of management where employees feel empowered to make their schedules as long as targets are being met. However, this method can be both a plus point and a drawback depending on employee etiquette and work ethic. If you are in a business that adheres to strict deadlines, this may be an effective way of managing employees as it ensures that no matter what work is being concluded on time.
Coaching, training & organization
The best to consolidate time management skills within the employee pool is by training and coaching. Training sessions that outline the importance of effective organization and time-saving techniques can improve and enhance employee time management skills. Personal coaching for employees who may be struggling to hit desired targets can also be extremely beneficial. Keeping an eye on employee activities within a workplace environment can provide clues as to where and how their time can be better utilized. Teaching employees how to maintain a proper calendar, to-do list, and even a time journal can positively connotate their productivity and output.
Conclusion
Time is the world’s most precious commodity, and it is one of the few things in life that can only be spent, not saved. Effective use of time, both from a professional and a personal standpoint, is of utmost importance to get to a person’s fullest potential. Encouraging employees to practice time management and mandating specific time management procedures like keeping a time log can lead to a more productive and efficient workforce. Employees must be aware of how valuable and useful time management skills can be from a personal and professional standpoint.
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