Waste of time at a workplace is what all employees accept to do willingly or unwillingly. The surprising fact is while the employee considered it as a ‘some time wasted at work” it can cost the huge loss of productivity when computed on a monthly basis. This not only hampers the productivity of the individual but also affects the total productive outcome of a company at a significant percentage. And if left unchecked, the results can be far worse than ever.
Wastage of important meantime at the workplace is not a newly born issue demanding undue attention. But, it has been into the system since the company enrolled its very first employee into the payroll system. However, The ways and techniques to deal with this problem have evolved over the time and today Human resource department has a satchel full of methods that help them prevent man-hour wastage.
The best part about these methods is that they do not focus on tightening the reins and neither have they emphasized in creating war-like situation between the human resource department and the employee. Instead, they focus on using technology and taking behavioral approaches to make employee fee responsible towards its job and thus minimize time wastage at work.
Set Goals/Expectation on Day to Day Basis:
We perform better when we know what is expected of us. The same law applies to employees when they know what the goals they have to accomplish are or what is expected of them. They make their own strategies and jump-start their work to reach the desired goal.
This approach is also effective to deal with the boredom or overwhelming feelings that provokes an individual to seek change. This can be easily done by using an HR software that enables daily goal creation and also allows the employees to manage their goals.
Flexibility & Time off is a Must
If you have an employee on work who is attending many outside works while working in the office, you are not only wasting precious man time but also risking the accuracy and efficiency of your work as the employee would be stressed and unfocused.
It is important that you offer employees flexibility in work and also time off as and when suitable for the company and the employees. This also assists employees in striking a perfect work-life balance.
Discuss the Wasted Time:
While you have your own view about the time wasted and reasons behind it, the employee can help you see it in a whole new light. Discussing the reasons for time wastage and addressing them together can help human resource department come up with effective solutions.
While you may perceive that the employees are wasting important time in socializing, it may be a useful discussion between two employees about the challenges of any job, environmental stressors and other factors affecting productivity.
Combine Productivity with Monetary Benefits:
Incentives and rewards are two motivating factors in any job. These two elements have extreme potential to boost the productivity of any individual provided the goals are set realistically. This also offers a chance for employees to view the goals in a different way and avoid distractions.
Search Skilled workers to Organize Projects:
Indeed HR software is going to help you in establishing goals for the workforce but when it comes to specific projects, the excellence of human mind combined with technological brilliance does wonders. You must hire a project manager that holds required apm project management qualification and will be an asset to the organization. Not only a project manager will help you manage the team but he/she may also come up with the integral problems of employees that result in a waste of time.
Penalize the offenders:
While it is good to keep a Good Samaritan approach to employee handling, it is also must to penalize the culprits. This will help the organization in setting an example for serious offenders, who indulge in a waste of time willingly and purposefully. There should be strict company policies for such employees and the same must be adhered by the HR department.
