Efficiency is the order of the day in all modern businesses. Competition is rife in each industry, and so it’s important firms offer nothing short of the best. That usually starts with the employees that they hire. Their workers are perhaps their most valuable assets. Without them, they wouldn’t be able to offer premium products and services.
The thing is; many businesses find creating an efficient workforce challenging. Despite their best efforts, some firms end up with staff that just aren’t productive! Apart from firing everyone, what else can you do to build an efficient workforce?
In today’s blog post, I will explore several tried and tested methods that will bring you results. Want to know what they are? Keep reading and you’ll find out!
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Don’t treat your employees like slaves
Isn’t it horrible when you get a job somewhere, and your boss treats you like a third-class citizen? You always get those horrible jobs no-one else wants to do. And when you do something to improve what you do, they take the credit for it!
It’s important, in fact, it’s vital you do not treat your workers like slaves. You must treat them with the care and respect they deserve. You should treat all workers as if they are members of your family. If they have any problems, work with them to sort things out. Don’t mock them or ignore them. Otherwise, they are likely to walk out and find a new job elsewhere.
Treat your staff as what they are: your equals. They are human beings, just like you. They are capable of creative thinking and problem-solving, just like you. And they can be more valuable than you think!
For example, they can suggest practical ways to make your business more productive. You can then adopt those changes and grow your company faster.
Find out what motivates your staff
We all get motivated in different ways. For instance, some of us work because we want to pay our bills each month. Others aspire to progress through their careers. Some might work just to help support a family member going through a tough time, for example.
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You should take the time to learn what motivates your staff. You can then put support structures in place in case they need help. Your workers aren’t devoid of feelings or emotion. Don’t treat them like robots, and they’ll treat you with respect.
Be flexible with their working hours
More businesses realise the benefits of providing flexitime to their workers. People often have to fit their work life around their family lives. There are several ways that you can offer flexible working hours to your staff.
For a start, you could offer them full-time work at times different to standard office hours. Another option is to let them work from home some days of the week.
You might be wondering how you would keep track of the hours they work in those scenarios. Did you know that you can use time and attendance software to keep track of their hours? There are plenty of innovative tools that can help you offer flexitime to your staff.
Turn their weaknesses into strengths
Anyone will tell you that getting the right training to do something will mean you do a better job. You can’t expect your staff to be experts in everything they do.
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Consider building a bespoke training programme for them to build up their skills. Doing so will offer two benefits. First of all, they will be more efficient when carrying out their work for you. And, second, it helps them to be more confident in their careers.
Give employees more incentives to work
Are you one of those bosses that your staff perceive as being “tight” in a financial sense? If so, you need to rethink your approach. Offering incentives to your workers can give them the motivational boost they need. In fact, quite often they’ll even go above and beyond the call of duty for you.
For instance, you could offer a quarterly bonus for work well done. You could even give them a gift voucher for excellent attendance records. The rewards you offer don’t need to be big or expensive. It’s usually smaller tokens that show your staff you care.
Before devising different incentives, it’s worth checking what the tax laws say about them. That’s because they (or you) might get taxed as they could get considered taxable benefits.
Thanks for reading today’s blog post!
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