Are you rushing from meeting to meeting, task to task, with time seeming to fly away from you and barely having time to squeeze in your lunch? You’re definitely not the only one out there, your employees are probably struggling to manage their tasks as well.
In digital times, where so much is accessible on demand and communication is possible in real time, it can seem like we ourselves have to deliver everything right now, not next week.
The pressure we are under to keep up with demands that our fast paced environment comes up with can be very overwhelming and stressful. Even though our brains have the capacity to process large and complex tasks, factors such as cognitive overload, fatigue, stress and a loss in motivation can decrease our capabilities to function & work effectively (Gaillard, 2017). Under these conditions our performance levels tend to decrease.
What is more, working unproductively can lead to strain, absenteeism, and in the long run to turnover (Karasek & Theorell, 1990). Research has shown that non-productive and inefficient behaviour is not only caused by a high level of workload. The way work is organised plays an important role for our productivity (Gaillard, 2017).
Naturally, you want to keep your own as well as your employees’ performance high in order to achieve set goals. As you can see, it is vital for you as a leader to make sure you and your employees are able to work productively.
Organising Work
As a leader, there are 5 factors to be considered when it comes to organising work for your employees:
1. Autonomy
When delegating work to your employees, there are different levels of autonomy they can take on. Be very clear about which decisions they can make autonomously, which areas they need to discuss with you, and the ones where they report to you for decision making.
2. Task Allocation
Certain employees will always say ‘yes’ when you give them tasks, especially when they feel that it is their duty to take on all the tasks you confront them with. As mentioned above, taking on too much workload and being overly stressed as a result, in the long run can lead to absenteeism or people quitting. Keep an eye on your employees’ workloads and get to to understand that they need to articulate clearly when they can’t handle extra work.
3. Communication
How are you communicating with your employees? Do they have the information they need to do their work, and more importantly, do they understand it? You need to be especially attentive, if a lot of your communication is running through digital platforms. Intangible deliverables such as a sensitive client email that needs to be vetted through, or even the sense of urgency, can get lost if not expressed directly. media.
4. Work/Rest-Schedules
Research shows that taking short breaks after a working period improves performance significantly (Kopardekar & Mital, 2007). Depending on the tasks at hand work/rest-schedules can be adjusted to different needs. Encourage your team to take breaks! The research suggests working cycles of 30min work followed by a 5min break, or of 60 min work followed by a 10min break. When taking the break, this time isn’t a waste or contributing to being non-productive; it enables your employees to perform to their best.
5. Feedback
Giving timely and frequent feedback to your employees will serve your employees and yourself as a leader. When you inform your employees about something or someone, doing this with the goal of improvement in mind, you are giving constructive feedback. Make sure you do this on a regular basis so that you and your employees are always aligned with changing conditions and goals. Furthermore, encourage your employees to give their feedback to you, too!
Once you’ve organised work for your employees, based on these 5 factors, there are 3 things your employees can do to improve time management:
1 Minute OD with Bethany Lee, R&D Executive on how to Improve Time Management!
Improve Time Management
A normal workday should provide you with an average of 8 hours in which you can get things done at work. When used effectively, a lot can be achieved in this period of time. Time management isn’t about the amount of tasks you can complete in one day, but about how you can break up these tasks into clearer, more manageable steps that will enable you to perform more efficiently. Here are 3 tips on how you can improve your time management.
1. Identify your tasks
Look at all the tasks you need to tackle for the day, small and big, and portion them into bite-sized ones that can all be completed within 30 minutes. You will be able to make an assessment of which tasks you managed to complete and which take up most of your day.
2. Tackle the though tasks first
Rank the items on your to-do list concerning their importance, then start with those of highest priority first. Most people are able to focus clearly at the beginning of the day, after their brain has been resting at night. Find out for yourself when your focus is at its highest point, by observing your performance at different points of time during the day.
3. Commit to a good schedule
Take on one small task after the other, make time for breaks and don’t try to multi-task. Multi-tasking will reduce your concentration significantly and you won’t be able to manage your tasks efficiently. In fact, neuroscientists firmly believe that multi-tasking doesn't exist; rather, the brain is forced to micro-switch between tasks (switch-tasking) which takes up energy!
Organising work according to the five above factors and getting your employees to follow the three tips on time management will empower them to be more productive and as a result, able to perform to personal best.