Reduce low-value work time for happy and productive employees

What would your employees say about their day-to-day experience at your company? Would they say the work hours pass slowly with boredom or are fast paced and productive? Everyone wishes there were more hours in the day, but when you focus on what’s truly important, becoming more productive is simple:

All you need to do is make sure your employees are constantly engaging in value-added tasks. Knowledge workers, like scientists, engineers and physicians, spend an average of 41 percent of their time on unimportant activities that offer little satisfaction and could be delegated to someone else, according to Harvard Business Review.

By thinking more consciously about how they spend their time, knowledge workers can drastically cut down on low-value tasks like desk work and meeting time. By freeing up this time, they can spend more of their day working on creative ideas and supporting the organization as a whole.

Here are some other ways to encourage and help your employees become more efficient and effective:

1. Avoid micromanaging

Let your employees do their jobs. When you give them the opportunity to do their best without interfering, they’re more likely to be happy and productive. Employees enjoy feeling a sense of autonomy, and when you give clear goals and the freedom to choose how they work, the results may even go above and beyond your expectations.

2. Communication is key

Employees like to be in the know about everything that’s happening at your company. So don’t wait for the quarterly all-staff meeting to share the latest news. Make use of newsletters and social networking tools to share pertinent and timely information.

3. Maintain a work-life balance

Check in with your employees from time to time to make sure they are balancing their work with their outside lives. Your company should have a commitment to reasonable work hours, which will also help you avoid low-value work. Expect your employees to show up and do their best with the hours they put in, and when they go home, they can put work out of their minds for the rest of the day.