Busy Working or Busy Work?
Posted by Tollfreenumber.ORG at March 17th, 2016
Are your employees working hard or hardly working? Are you giving your employees enough to do?
Far too often people mistake being busy for being productive. In reality, there is a huge difference between the two. Even the least productive of workers can find a way to keep busy, or appear to be doing so. Unfortunately, keeping busy doesn’t mean they’re actually accomplishing anything. Business-owners know what I’m talking about. Haven’t you ever noticed there seems to be a lot more action going on once you show up at the office? Unseasoned entrepreneurs may not have the experience to notice the difference between busy-work and productive work so we’ve created this handy guide to help you spot the tell-tale signs.
Spotting the difference between busy-work and productive work is a lot easier than you think. You simply have to ask yourself a few questions about the work being done:
- Is the task necessary? Being organized is important for any business but if you find yourself, or an employee, organizing paper clips by size and color you may not be utilizing your time effectively. Separate tasks into two categories: essential work functions and non-essential work functions. This will help make your objectives clearer and pave the way for step 2.
- Is the task a priority? Once you’ve determined which tasks are essential or non-essential you can begin to prioritize. For example, in a restaurant, employees should preform a thorough cleaning of all food prep surfaces at least once daily and sanitize all appropriate utensils. But it is not necessary for all other surfaces to be cleaned as regularly. Shelving, appliances, and other surfaces that do not come in contact with food can be cleaned every other day, bi-weekly, or as used, if sooner. If your BOH (back of house) staff is often wiping down the tops of the microwaves or scrubbing walls they’re probably wasting time that could be better used for more essential tasks like rotating out old stock or re-stocking prep stations.
- Is too much time dedicated to the task? If too much time is being allocated to a specific task, other work may be neglected. The goal is to complete all essential tasks in a timely manner, thereby freeing up part of the day for less essential tasks. For example, if payroll must be completed on a weekly basis, set aside a portion of the day for working specifically on that task. Once you’ve completed the work for the day you’ll find you have more time available to complete less essential tasks like reorganizing supplies or filing documents. If you fail to allocate enough time to the essentials you’ll find yourself playing a constant game of catch up.
Ultimately it’s up to you to ensure how and what gets done at your business. There’s no one right way to run a business, but there are a few general rules that have been tried and tested for decades. Take these tips and see how they can work for you. When properly adopted, these techniques can save you time and money.
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Category: Companies