Overcoming the Q1 Slows
January and February are seriously slow months for business. With Black Friday not coming until late November, it's no wonder that the first two months of the year are not as profitable as others. Holiday expenditure plus the economic stagnation makes people hold tightly onto their money more, not only that, it's a pressing concern that the work force lessens as well. A lot of things gets in the minds of the workers. They don't know how to handle most of their time, and that time is usually time that should be spent for the company. The company suffers it their employees are stressed with work since they become less productive, worse, injured. The thing is, if workers are distracted, they become a liability for the company which costs money.
3 Steps for Regaining Lost Time
Things to consider when working to get attention and lost time back. Employee monitoring is important if you want to make sure the suggestions work.
1. Deal with distraction head-on. In more than two hours a day, you can be sure that one of your workers are surely preoccupied with other things than work. Talking is the biggest contributor to the diversion. A common, not to mention easy, solution is sound masking, or the use of in-tile speakers to emit white noise for the masking of conversational distraction. It has its own kind of beauty that appeals, and not only that, it's quick and simple to do too.
2. It would be wise to provide them with ergonomic materials in order to reduce their cases of discomfort in order to increase their efficiency. By giving your employees equipment that promotes efficiency without the stress equation added, you give them a healthy environment to work in. These products are a good investment since they have a lot of long lasting health benefits despite their prices. Having your people use top of the line products will also attract the best workers out there because they see the caliber of the company. It's a win-win.
3. Give them a break from time to time. The rest doesn't mean a rest from work, but simply a rest from the technological phase in order to look at the more manual side of things such as hands on activities and personal relations. Whether it's once a week or 30 minutes a day, by offering some non-stressful, quiet time, you are protecting your workers stress levels and showing them that you value them individually. If you're planning to do this once a week, then Friday afternoons would be the best time since less work is present. Projects due on Monday would be prepped in a jiffy because it has been prepared ever since quiet time last Friday, it's really convenient!
As you can see, workers are distracted and unfocused, and disengaged workers cost you money. You don't have to implement them all, but by using any one or even combination of these tips, you'll see immediate results.
Published February 23rd, 2011
Filed in Business

