Most business owners want nothing more than for their businesses to be successful. This is much easier said than done since there are so many variables involved. One of the most frequent that can be difficult to control is employee productivity. With so many businesses operating remotely, productivity has become more of a concern than ever before.
Even for employers who have employees working in a physical office, there has always been a concern over how to increase productivity. In the age of the Internet and cellphones, distractions are everywhere. Additionally, employees seem more prone to burnout these days, and working them too hard will lead to turnover or even a decrease in productivity and quality of work.
If you want to ensure that your business stays as productive as possible, you must have the right tools in your toolbox...
Our marketing company missed the boat this month on newsletter articles. The content they provided for this section was all about certain products – many which RTS would not recommend. RTS focuses on providing solutions to business needs, instead of specific products which may or may not solve those needs. So instead of recommending products we will talk about the needs and let you know what a solution would be.
Distractions! Social media is addictive. This probably isn’t new news to anyone. This “rabbit hole” distraction can eat up the workday before we know it, even when our intentions are good. To prevent this loss of productivity there are tools available to limit access to certain sites or simply monitor activity. Monitors can be set to track specific sites or all electronic activities. The solution can be customized to accommodate the requirements of the business.
Need access to data internally and externally. The correct solution for this need is based on a few factors. The top priority is to meet compliance (HIPAA, PCI, etc.) General security is another high priority because even if your company does not have compliance requirements you don’t want anyone stealing your data. Organization of this data should be considered before a solution is implemented to ensure the right structure is built to handle future needs. Overall, the solution is a centralized data storage process (there are many options) with controls to limit unneeded or unauthorized access and the ability to share with others when needed.
Speaking of organization – time reporting and schedule management are much needed in almost any business. Many of you have a solution in place for this, but if it needs an update or an interface to other systems, let us know.
Communication! Communication has been a hurdle for businesses (humans in general) for as long as they have existed. Some organizations are better than others, but the widespread use of remote workplaces has moved this from a “low hurdle” to a “high hurdle”. There are tools and processes to help with this. The solution which is best for your group will depend on how much you need to be in-touch versus how much you would like to minimize interruptions. Also consider how much history you need to keep and for how long.
Planning can be overwhelming if you don’t know where to start or where to end. This can be business strategy, goals, or even project management. This is a need which takes much more work to find the correct solution because we need to clarify what the solution is meant to accomplish. Many times, an outside party can help clarify what is needed because they don’t have as much emotional attachment to the pieces of the puzzle as someone in your organization may have. Or they don’t know the history of a process so have a fresh perspective. While RTS doesn’t focus on these things we can often help during a business review. Since technology impacts many of these decisions or is needed to fulfill them, we have a good background to help.
To get the most out of your business, you must ensure that productivity is maximized wherever possible. There are many new websites, apps, and programs designed to encourage productivity in the workplace. You just need to find what works best for your business. If you’re unsure of where to begin, give us a call!
