Workplace Productivity

Executives and office managers are striving to increase productivity in the workplace and the tactics of being employed are slightly different in 2013. Companies are searching for the employee that is intuitive and understands what is wanted and needed without being asked or being told to do something. Even the hiring managers are being asked to improvise and develop new skills that identify talent that will be more productive. As the economy turns around, companies will have to work harder to retain talented employees. Companies have trimmed the fat, and now they have to build the muscle.

There are things you can do to enhance your productivity in the office. Organize your work space. Excess paperwork and knick knacks hanging around at your desk can be very distracting. Take time to organize your work area. Get in the habit of clearing away all unnecessary distractions at the end of the day. This will be essential in helping you to prioritize. Close off all social networking sites while you are working. Keep your focus on the job at hand. These are mental distractions. Make the most of your work time.

Manage your time better by keeping track of how long it takes you to complete some of your common tasks. Doing so will make it easier to get an accurate estimate of a day’s activities so you do not overbook yourself. If you’ve ever found yourself rushing or stuck in overtime because of uncompleted tasks by the end of the day, you need better time management skills. Scheduling” daily tasks with an accurate estimated time you need to complete it will help you

Faster internet will boost productivity in an office. Wasting time waiting for websites to load is costly for a company. Upgrading internet packages saves money in the long run.

Set up email filters. If you find yourself spending a lot of time just going through dozens (or hundreds) of emails every day, set up filters so that emails from certain people land in a separate box and you can respond accordingly. It might take some time to figure out where your emails are coming from, but once you do, you’ll find it much easier to organize all of your information so you’re only responding to the most important items and people as the messages flow in.

Set a few specific times of day that you can just go through a series of emails at once. Unless you’re waiting for some very time-sensitive information (or working with the boss on a project), you’ll rarely need to respond to an email right away–most senders will realistically expect a response within two or three hours. Carve out a few specific times in the day just for “email processing” so you can handle this simple task all at once.

Consistently update calendar applications. Calendar tools can help you stay organized. Sync it to your phone or use services like Google Calendar so you can access your calendar from anywhere. You can set up notifications for meetings and events right through the calendar tool, and look at your week at a glance.

An organized worker who works efficiently saves money for a business. They get more “bang for the buck” so to speak. Companies want workers who get things done fast and accomplish what sometimes takes two workers to complete. Those skills can also lead to raises and promotions.

Source: Jones, Neil. “12 Ways to Improve Productivity at Work.” Tweak Your BIz. Web. 3 Jan. 2013.