All workplaces are imperfect. Even the most streamlined ones have their hiccups. It's normal for any business to have several obstacles that hinder its teams from working efficiently. However, no matter how minor a challenge is, you can't allow it to remain.
Your responsibility as a business owner is to spot these pain points and address them as quickly and accurately as possible. That's a challenge that, if not resolved promptly, could result in losing team members over the lack of team member engagement or even losing income. Thus, to guide you, here's a general list of solutions to solve common pain points in your workplace.
1. Hire Extra Hands When Needed
Often, a business struggles to achieve its desired level of success because of a lack of human resources. Start-up companies usually have this problem, and their limited staff often experiences burnout fast due to work piling up. Hence, many of them don't last after a few months, let alone survive one year.One way to overcome this issue is to get some extra help. Information technology, in particular, is a much-needed department in today's modern business landscape. The IT specialists help secure your vital data and reduce downtime to ensure your team continues working when it has to. Fortunately for business owners, the best IT services in Utah and other parts of the nation are available to help your company grow.
Maintaining a relationship with an outsourced company isn't easy, however. You need to communicate with it frequently, especially when work is done remotely. In this setup, you may have to apply staff augmentation, a strategy to integrate outsourced talent with your in-house team.
Another model you can use is a managed service which takes the place of your full-time staff. You can learn more about the differences, cons, and pros through this link: http://fusioncomputing.ca/staff-augmentation-vs-managed-services/.
2. Automate Basic Tasks
Clerical office tasks, like data entry, are often why other duties take forever to complete. Most office workers aren't fond of these either. They could spend up to three hours sorting digital files and email, leaving them with less time to start and finish other responsibilities. Many companies are aware of this, but some still insist on manual labor. However, it's best to automate basic tasks to hasten and lighten your team's workload.To give you an idea of where you can apply automation to your business, here's the list of everyday tasks other companies automate:
-Social media posts
-Invoice emails
-Meeting schedulers
-Customer communication
-Expense tracking
Once you have task automation software in place, you'll notice how your workflow moves efficiently and with fewer mistakes. Your team may work more effectively and promptly as it should now have more time.
3. Streamline All Communications
Poor communication in any situation always results in problems. Businesses are no exception. Often, you'll see various departments in a company unable to access vital information because each team uses different software. What results from that could be redundancies in data, which can impede your team from moving forward.Hence, your business needs to centralize control and integrate the different apps or programs departments use for work. A specific channel to streamline business communications ensures messages reach their intended recipients quickly.
Additionally, improper documentation of all internal and external communications will cause confusion. Your teams will have difficulty collaborating and coordinating on projects. Aside from that, you'll have no written proof of whether a task is finished. Therefore, keeping track of every transmission is a must for your business and should also be streamlined.
4. Offer Flexible Work Setups
Many employees worldwide now value health and wellness. In fact, it has been proven that both factors can improve their performance at work. With many businesses now incorporating hybrid setups, it’d be ideal for you to consider it too.Depending on what your company does, you may offer a flexible setup to team members who need it, such as parents or working students. Some people find that they're more productive at home all week or on-site on specific days. Although hybrid setups have pros and cons, it's up to you to weigh them. Other companies can vouch for how having some staff working on-site and others working remotely benefits them. But you and your team must decide which works best for you.
It's vital to note that your remote staff has to be on the same page as those on-site. That's why it's equally important that your communication within the company is streamlined to ensure no one in the team gets left behind. Only then will you see how a flexible work setup can be advantageous.
5. Trust and Train Your Team
Nobody enjoys being micromanaged. Your team may even grow distrustful of you if you constantly hover over their work. Managers and business owners often do this because they believe their staff isn't competent enough to do their job.To rectify this, you can have your team undergo regular training. Team members can take refresher courses or entirely new classes in line with their work. Most companies may invite a coach, while others incorporate modern training tools to upskill and motivate their staff. Whichever your preferred method, the result should be a team with new, practical knowledge to use to improve work.
