In order for your employees to be productive, it is important to them to develop the proper organizational skills. The first place you should start is by examining the work processes of each of your employees. For larger organizations, rely upon your managers and supervisors to assist with this task.
Delegation is great time management technique that allows you to find out how well your employees are organized, but at the same time, allows you the time you need to continue to concentrate on core business operations.
Once you have reviewed the skill sets of each of your employees, the next step is to prioritize them into small groups to be trained to use better organizational methods. Teaching your employees new skills requires changing how they currently work. This can be challenging for some employees, but with the proper encouragement and training, they will see the new processes are actually better than their current methods.
One key area you will want to focus on with your employees is how they complete tasks. In the past, multitasking was big within numerous organizations of all sizes. Today, that is no longer the case, and many businesses are switching to single tasking, as they are discovering this method results in higher productivity.
Single tasking requires adapting current habits and adjusting them so that employees work on a single task until it is completed before moving onto the next one. This process requires making a “to-do” list each day and working down the list, but not moving on to the next item until the previous one is finished. Working in this manner, employees will realize they are getting more accomplished in the workday than if they were attempting to use multitasking to complete numerous tasks at the same time.
Another organizational skill many employees could improve upon is how often to access email and instant messaging. Both of these tools are great ways of communicating, although they can become big time wasters. It is perfectly acceptable to check email once in the morning, again after lunch, and shortly before going home in the evening. The rest of the time, email programs and apps should be closed, allowing your employees to concentrate on their other tasks.
With instant messaging, it should only be used as a last resort and not become the primary method of communicating. After a message is sent, if they do not receive a response in about ten minutes, it is better to close the program and pick up the phone. If they are unable to reach the person, they can set the task aside and move on to a new one until they get a response.
Lastly, another way to encourage better organizational skills is to initiate a workplace uniform solution. When all of the employees are dressed the same, they spend less time comparing who has the latest fashions and best clothes, and more time being productive.
To see what workplace uniform programs are available for your business and industry, contact Prudential Overall Supply at (800) 767-5536. We offer customizable solutions for a wide array of operations, including medical work uniforms, casual business uniforms, and more!