Some tasks can become time wasters in an office. Even though these tasks are a tradition of the workplace, they are optional for your employees. For example, some things practiced in offices like pirateplay years ago would be discarded now. Here are the top ten time wasters.
Social Media
You can access social media from your mobile device or PC any time of the day, making it a big-time waster. Ensure your employees curtail their time on social media. To restrict this time waster, block some apps during working hours.
Unnecessary Meetings
If left unchecked, meetings can become a time waster. One study from Korn Ferry, a consulting company, claims that more than 67% of employees feel too many meetings affect their output. It hampers their ability to do their work effectively. Try to make sessions short and direct.
Multitasking
One of the time wasters in a workplace is multitasking. Multitasking involves doing multiple tasks at the same time. This will reduce your output and probably waste time. Hence, to avoid this time waster, focus on one task. Complete one task at a time before moving to the next. This way, you’ll improve your output and avoid wasting time.
Email Overload
According to a study published by McKinsey Global Institute, employees spend more than 28% of their day checking emails. You can avoid this by ensuring your email checking and replies are done in batches.
No Clear Objective
Working without a plan is one of the biggest time wasters in a workplace. It will be easier for employees to know their duties with a plan. Hence, it would help if you plan your workflow. Create a schedule for employees. It will help everyone understand their responsibility.
Procrastination
This is one of the biggest time wasters. If you are guilty of putting off your tasks, try starting with smaller ones. Hence, if you give yourself easy tasks, you’ll avoid wasting time in your workplace. Try to have small breaks in between when you have mighty jobs.
Perfectionism
Spending a lot of time perfecting every detail at work can lead to mistakes and time wasting. It can also be frustrating for your employees and clients. Hence, instead of trying to perfect, do your best with the little time you have.
Disorganization
Working in a disorganized environment can cause inefficiency. When your workspace is cluttered, your staff will need help to search for paperwork and files. This will result in time wasting. To avoid wasting time, declutter your workspace. Additionally, strategically organize your necessary items for easy access.
Faulty Equipment
Equipment like computers is standard in offices. Even phones and tablets can also be used in offices. If any of these devices develops a fault, it can waste time in the workplace. Hence, ensure your equipment is in good condition to avoid this situation. This way, there won’t be any issues with them.
Not Knowing When to Turn Down Tasks
You should impress other employees by taking up tasks even when it will take a lot of time to do them. However, this is alright, but you should know when to say no. When you do too much, you will be stressed and waste time.
