Improving Employee Productivity
With the global pandemic forcing many companies’ hands when it comes to how they work with staff, and the undeniable changes in the business environment, more businesses and organisations are opting for office management and HR solutions.
Pick up any trade magazine, or search “improve employee productivity” and the same few suggestions will surface:
- Optimise the working day – communications, meetings and environment
- Improve autonomy for staff – flexible hours or locations, cease micromanagement
- Enrich staff beyond work – Learning opportunities, recognition of self-care and mental health
Organisations often feel pressured to be increasingly productive in their day to day tasks, sometimes to the point of burnout for the staff making that possible. It’s understandable even pre-Covid, but even more so in the new economic climate, when financial investments are scrutinised to the penny and budgetary confinements dictate cutbacks.
Being able to reduce costs, consumption, inefficiency, and simultaneously improve productivity, and employee well being – seems like a tall order for one piece of software to provide.
Knowing where, when and how to start this process if it doesn’t already exist can be daunting. One of the key internal changes that has shown positive results is having the ability to automate certain processes. Which in turn helps reduce the risk and costly time consumption involved in manual documentation. This is where software solutions can step in and provide invaluable assistance to many businesses.
Reduce Risk
Using a software solution has multiple risk-reducing factors to consider. One is the security of confidential data; ensuring that sensitive information is out of reach from employees and people without clearance to access it. Often accessing rights can be assigned, removed and changed to include limitations according to personnel work requirements.
Another facet of risk reduction is the loss of documentation or version history. This form of software solution task management allows HR staff to concentrate on the important strategic business needs of their organisations, rather than trudging through manual paperwork in an attempt to safeguard losses.
Lastly, an automated system that standardises paperwork, processes and data entry will greatly reduce the instances of human error in the documentation a business relies upon.
Because of these factors, and the ability for staff to focus on bigger picture challenges, the intrinsic value of HR can be seen more clearly than simply being viewed as a department managing administrative tasks.
Streamline process and efficiency
The automation of labour-intensive tasks that need to be carried out frequently mean an enormous amount of valuable time can be freed up to optimise the rest of the company Human Resources department and its strategies. Software solutions that automate those time-consuming HR processes reduce unnecessary workload for employees, which has the knock-on effect of increasing productivity levels. This increase in productivity means an overall reduction in operating costs due to staff having the ability to streamline their operations.
Adding value to work-life
An interesting development in the last 5 to 10 years has been the changes in employee ‘deal breakers’. When it comes time to recruit new staff or keep the current ones engaged, some things stand out as important factors in decision making.
Flexible working locations
Being able to take advantage of mobile technology is a key indicator of company growth and mindset. A forward-thinking business, agency or organisation will always be more attractive to new hires. This is even more true since the pandemic as priorities have changed for many people. Productivity can be maintained or improved while working in an agile environment with the correct solution in place, opening up any remote location and increasing employee wellbeing.
Learning or training opportunities
Having integrated Learning Solutions, such as the option to choose to shift from a manual course centric learning and development model into creating a bespoke learning environment, using multiple mediums of delivery and source.
Company culture and work-life balance
Providing flexible hours, locations and a reasonable wage go hand in hand with having a happy, fulfilled company culture. Including time for your team to bond, share their experience and generally benefit each other in a more rounded way is essential. When employees are engaged with their team and the wider company it reduces the workload on one individual, meaning sharing ideas can be achieved effectively. This ‘bedding in’ with their colleagues reduces absenteeism and, as a further benefit, encourages employees to strive for leadership positions.
Financial benefits
All of this benefits the broader company bottom line of course. An increased Return on Investments (ROI) due to companies reducing their operating costs has outweighed costs associated with the implementation and changes of new automated systems, and additionally decreased overtime and third party costs.