One of the most common searches among professionals is “how to be more productive.” As our world crawls closer to a work from home office model, many workers feel going to the office five days a week to be unnecessary now. As we begin discussion on if we should all just go back to the office, professionals are looking for ways to simplify their workloads. Employers are wondering what they can do to increase productivity and profitability. Some bosses and managers are advocating for a return to the office, and to stop working from home (wfh). There is another solution for remote workers, however: leverage more technology for productivity growth.
For ages, humans have been leveraging tools to better accomplish tasks. Today, our most powerful and effective tool is technology. Here’s how to leverage technology to boost employee productivity. The tricky part is there are a vast number of software applications and technology solutions, and there isn’t a universal solution that works for every business. However, there are some common strategies that you can leverage and tailor to fit your workplace dynamics and composition.
Technology Can Increase Productivity & Profitability
When employees cannot meet productivity targets, they often aren’t being properly supported with the resources to do so. In fact, according to Ivanti, as many as 85% of workers don’t have the right resources and technology to take care of their tasks efficiently.
Investing in technology solutions can drastically improve a business’s productivity and output quality. However, you need to make sure that the solutions you implement align with your team’s needs and properly train your team on how to utilize them.
In many ways, this is the very best time to invest in your team’s equipment. Moving forward, your company may decide to go fully remote, or adopt a hybrid work schedule. Better equipment will empower your team members to do more, better and faster.
The decision of what solutions to invest in should be well-researched and discussed with an IT professional. We can help you create an investment and implementation plan to ensure you see a return on investment. But if you’re eager to get started, here are some benefits of implementing technology solutions:
1. Save Time On Common Tasks
Everyone does small, mundane things every day that take a few seconds or a few minutes. Over time the amount of time spent on these tasks can really add up. Technology can simplify these tasks and improve workplace productivity and employee satisfaction. You can also minimize your employees taking unnecessary extra steps or getting stressed just to get these things done.
For example, if your team utilized Microsoft 365 leveraging the Power Apps to automate tasks can significantly boost your productivity. Power Apps can help automate things like importing or exporting data from your accounting or ERP system into other systems. Instead of having your team copy, paste, or reformat, it can be automatically completed.
2. Leverage SharePoint For Easy Collaboration & File Sharing
How many times have you had to log into a VPN to access company files, or needed to access company files quickly on the go?
Creating, editing, and sharing files is one of the most common tasks employees do every day. However, file storage and sharing with SharePoint is often overlooked and not maintained. SharePoint makes it easy for employees to track the history of changes made to a document, collaborate simultaneously, and find all the information they need to complete their tasks. You can read more about how to improve collaboration with SharePoint here.
3. Simplified Communication With Teams
Messaging and chat technology can improve communication efficiency and employee productivity. With Teams chats are easier to compose, allow for group and channel communication, and typically Teams messages elicit a fast response from your team. Instead of typing out formal emails and awaiting responses or having details get lost in the shuffle, chats allow teams to stay connected and quickly get clarification.
Miscommunication has a hefty price tag ? literally. Debra Hamilton revealed that companies with 100 employees lose about $420,000 per year due to inefficient communication among employees.
4. Training & Professional Development
Your employees are smart. Giving them the time to learn and expand their skill set can empower them to evolve their workflows, becoming more productive and effective. Learning new skills will also keep your employees sharp and on top of the industry, and inspire new methods of employees working.
Additionally, as your business evolves and you implement new tools, it is important to hold staff training to ensure your team can leverage their full potential. Remote work does not lead to a decrease in goods and services. If implemented well and correctly, it can streamline your work in a way that hasn’t been possible before. You may decide that physical office space is less necessary, too.
Making Productivity a Priority
Productivity at work is a concept that affects almost all key business metrics such as operational costs, revenue, employee retention and attrition, and even customer and client satisfaction. It also impacts more intangible, yet equally important, things including company culture, work environment, employee experience, and brand identity.
The United States will never return to the same culture it had pre-pandemic; forcing employees to return to the office won’t fix the other problems in your “factors of production,” as it were. Do your employees have a welcome environment in which to voice concerns? Are you thinking of their happiness as you decide how your business might need to adapt and evolve? A happy employee is one that cares about the success of the business, and who does better work day-to-day.
We would be happy to help you identify opportunities for optimization within your business and make solution recommendations. We can advise you on potential ways to improve your business outcomes through the appropriate use of technology. You can book a call with us any time via the button below.