Time Management in the Workplace

BusinessManagement

  • Author Larry Rudwick
  • Published November 19, 2010
  • Word count 478

Time keeps on slipping into the future, as the song "Fly Like an Eagle" by Steve Miller goes. But what does that mean for a business? Time passes, whether your associates are working diligently toward the company's goals or wasting valuable time and valuable resources during the day. You’ve heard the old adage "time is money"? It couldn’t be truer when it comes to the importance of time management in the workplace.

Why is effective time management in the workplace important?

  • Proper time management increases productivity

  • Companies will more likely meet or exceed their financial goals each year

  • Top management and the associates of the company are more likely to work together if working toward the same goals, such as year end bonuses.

Each business has its very own ebb and flow, its own culture, and its very own way of doing business. Keep all this in mind as you begin to assess and implement new work procedures. The daily/weekly/monthly workflow, and the job requirements of each associate should be looked at closely. The information discovered during this time assessment will be key to training and/or retraining everyone in the company how to better manage their time.

Time Management Tips

A time study can be a helpful exercise to determine where time is well spent and being wasted, Choose a specific time frame, perhaps one week or two weeks, and account for how each associate and top manager spends their time.

You'll discover a lot about what tasks are vital to further the company's financial goals, what tasks can be eliminated, and possibly even whether there are actually associates who just plain goofing off, wasting valuable time and money.

By all means, ask your associates to participate in the study so they feel they are valued team members.

Ask these questions:

  • What tasks are completed on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis?

  • What tasks need to be delegated to others?

  • Are there tasks that require consolidation and streamlining?

  • What time wasters (activities) need to be eliminated?

Including fun activities now and then within the workweek will make everyone more willing to work harder and manage their time more efficiently. Attitude of top management toward the associates and vice-versa is very important to keeping a company on track for success. Top management should make every effort to include social activities now and again for the associates so that everyone has the opportunity to "let their hair down" and get to know one another a bit better. And it can be great for teambuilding! Don’t be surprised when you see them working with renewed energy.

When time management skills are taught, implemented, and rewarded, a business will benefit greatly in the areas of productivity and financial success. It's the little things that add up and can make a significant difference in any size company.

About Author:

Larry Rudwick is an executive business coach and runs his website Business Tune-ups. Read more about time management and the benefits of coaching

Article source: https://articlebiz.com
This article has been viewed 577 times.

Rate article

Article comments

There are no posted comments.

Related articles