Meetings are one the biggest time wasting exercises within any business. Of course some meetings are required, such as monthly or weekly performance meetings or project launches, but most businesses agree that over 50% of meetings are a waste of time.

Rather than getting 10 people in to a room for an hour, consider simply sending an email out and having a quick discussion with anyone directly if they have any questions.

2. Use digital communication

Similar to meetings, setting up lengthy calls to discuss something which could just as easily be discussed over tools like Skype or Slack is a waste of time.

Outside of calls for meetings, these kind of digital communication tools can also save time by giving all employees instant access to anyone else in the business, rather than them having to walk around the office to find them, which can then lead to small talk and more wasted time.

3. Communicate effectively

A recent employee survey said that one of the biggest time wasters was a lack of effective communication, which leads to work being delivered in the wrong way or not in a complete fashion.

When delegating a task, ensure you take the necessary time to clearly communicate what is required, how it should be delivered, and what the outcome will be. Also allow time for the team member to ask any follow up questions to avoid issues later on.

4. Embrace tools

In today’s digital world, software, tools and apps are one of the best ways for businesses to be more productive. Almost all areas of a business can benefit from embracing software to make their departments run more efficiently, such as HR software, IT software and customer service software.

These kinds of tools can help a business become much more efficient and allow its employees to focus on more important tasks.

5. Reduce distractions

In today’s modern office, there are many distractions which will ultimately lead to a reduction in productivity for the workforce. Try to reduce these where possible, while still offering a vibrant working environment.

While having a strict no-phones policy might be a step too far, you can still try to encourage employees to avoid the use of social media and mobile phones at their desks, and ask them to try to limit use until lunch time or break periods.

6. Give positive feedback

One of the very best ways of making an employee more productive is to offer positive feedback – where earned. Positive feedback will keep your team happy, and therefore more productive.

This doesn’t mean giving a pat on the back to your team for every little thing they do, but perhaps consider having a quick weekly catch up to run over work complete, and if required, offer positive feedback if the employee has hit or exceeded targets for the week.

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