Finding new ways to increase productivity for you and your team is a constant but worthwhile challenge. Who wouldn’t want to do more with less time?

If you run a business, you’ll know that sometimes, the team isn’t as engaged in their work as you’d like them to, and you as a business owner can feel uninspired yourself!

And if like us you run a team that’s based in multiple locations, you can’t really tell exactly wheat the team is really doing with their time.

We have a guest post here from Josephine, who writes about productivity with a technology angle.
She says – it only takes a few simple changes to completely reinvent the way your business operates! Read on for her insights and tips.

Why your employees start to lose interest in work

It’s not uncommon for employees to start losing interest in their jobs over time. For some businesses, workers are stuck doing repetitive tasks that are less than engaging. Such activities can lead to an unmotivated employee working mindlessly (i.e. not always getting the job done right). In this case, business owners and leaders are not making the most of their employee resources. Employees prefer to work on bigger projects and tasks that require strong engagement and innovation. When stuck doing mindless tasks, brainpower and energy are wasted.

For other businesses, employees are so tied up in trying to use the outdated technology their office employs, that they end up losing time that could be spent working toward a productive outcome. When we think about it, tools and technology in the office are supposed to make it easier to get the job done, not harder. If your employees are forced to use outdated technology that only works some of the time, businesses will find themselves at risk for poor performance and lack of success.

Worse yet is when employers fail to acknowledge their lack in tools and technology that are meant to improve daily processes. While it can be overwhelming to navigate through the sea of new tech and tools for businesses, considering an upgrade to some of the tools mentioned in this article will help put your business back on track for productivity and success. Having the right tools for your business will help improve productivity in your office.

Turn to digital methods of productivity

Employers can start working toward increased productivity by getting to know what their employees are doing on a daily basis. Your employees don’t want to waste time dealing with small things when they have bigger tasks to attend to, so it’s important to find out what works for them and what doesn’t.

Additionally, expecting your employees to take on more responsibility than they can handle or more projects than they are equipped for will not only hurt your employees, but productivity levels as well. As a business owner, it’s important to know when more help is needed, and what options exist for project ownership and management.

Bring in experts

You can free up some of your employees’ time by bringing in experts to manage some of your more strenuous tasks. For many employees in a small business where they are made to wear many hats in terms of what they are responsible for, dealing with major projects like company website management on top of regular daily operations can be time-consuming and frustrating for those not equipped to handle such a thing.

Outsourcing website management and maintenance for your business website (like to the lovely folk at TLD!) can be a great option for companies that are growing quickly, and can’t afford to lose time on website issues and maintenance. While having a properly functioning website is essential to running a successful business, your employees likely have other essential tasks they need to accomplish, and don’t have the time to spend when it comes to making sure your website is functioning properly. A regularly maintained website that has current content and information will help draw people in to learn more about your offerings and potentially convert into customers of your business.

Adopt new technology

 Now that your employees have more time to work on their assigned projects, they will need to have an effective way of communicating and collaborating with their teammates. If your employees are to be truly productive at a high level, they will need a way to effectively communicate with their teammates, whether they are working in the office or remotely from any location.

Rather than causing interruptions in the office by talking aloud in an open space, or calling out to a coworker who is out in the field or working remotely with limited access to business calls, consider upgrading to Unified Communications as a way to optimize communication options in and out of the workplace. “Unified Communications as a Service”, or UCaaS, helps make collaboration easy, which will help your employees be more productive. When collaborators are available by a quick chat message or a comprehensive video call, workers will have access to any information and ideas they need, right at their fingertips.

Analyze Business Processes

Perhaps the most important thing a business owner could do to maximize productivity is taking a look at their business processes to see what produces the greatest results and what does not. Too often, businesses become so comfortable in the way business is run on a regular basis that they don’t think about the changes that could be made for increased productivity.

Fortunately, business process management suites offer a way to automatically track the processes your business uses to determine the success of the results created. Employees won’t have to spend time tracking and analyzing the processes they are already busy working on, which saves employee time and business resources. Businesses could potentially save money with a business process management tool, as inefficiencies will be noticed and can then be removed, and resources will no longer be wasted on these outdated or unused processes.

Stay in the Know

 Whether you’re stuck for ways to improve productivity in your business, or searching for ways to help your employees feel engaged in their work, staying on top of the latest tools and technology for businesses is of utmost importance. The simple tools mentioned in this article have the potential to transform your business success and productivity. With technology always changing and evolving, making small changes on a regular basis will help make the greatest difference.