Every effective manager must constantly find ways to make the business grow, and this does not always mean dramatic overhauls involving a lot of resources. Sometimes the smallest things create the biggest impact, like the following seemingly tiny tweaks that can improve key aspects of your business. These easy and practically free changes can give you high-yield results in areas like branding, productivity, employee engagement, and more.
Hydrate Your Workers
Dehydration is one of the health epidemics silently plaguing the workplace. In fact, 75 percent of Americans are chronically dehydrated according to a survey conducted by the New York Hospital–Cornell Medical Center on 3,003 Americans.
Dehydration is detrimental to health and can manifest through headaches, fatigue, memory problems, impaired cognitive abilities, and muscle pain. These uncomfortable symptoms, in turn, can negatively affect an employee’s productivity and general morale.
Deal with dehydration in the workplace by following these practical tips:
- To remind employees to drink, install drinking fountains and water dispensers in strategic areas around the workplace, such as in hallways, outside the restrooms, and at the pantry.
- Provide adequate water breaks so workers can drink the recommended amount of water while at work.
- Educate workers about the importance of proper hydration by conducting a workshop on the importance of hydration and how much water workers need to drink daily.
Keep Work Desks Tidy
Keeping the workplace clean and orderly sounds pretty straightforward, but being clean doesn’t just mean segregating trash or vacuuming the carpet every week. An attitude of cleanliness should also extend to the way an employee manages his or her own desk. A dirty and disorganized workstation can pose health risks, negatively affect your company’s professional image, and hamper your employee’s motivation to work.
In fact, a survey conducted by tech company Brother reported that one out of four participants said a colleague’s messy desk negatively influenced one’s own productivity, and 21 percent said a messy desk added to the workload.
Use these tips to encourage employees to keep their desks tidy and organized:
- Provide storage solutions like personal lockers where workers could leave their own mobile devices. This is especially useful if you work in an office with an open floor plan. Lockers will not only improve security but also ensure that employees bring only work-related items to their desk, thereby minimizing clutter and non-work-related activities. Make sure the lockers are durable and come with heavy-duty locks that will not be easily tampered. In emergency cases where lockers cannot be opened due to a lost key, tools such as a lockpick gun can be used.
- After we’re ready with benefits of water, give incentives or awards to employees who consistently have clean and orderly desks.
- Provide easy access to trash bins and cleaning equipment that employees can use on their own.
- Reduce paperwork by using internal messaging apps and emails. One good example is the blogger LifeHacker Guy on how he uses a co-working space and manages a team of remote workers.
Hold Weekly Huddles
Never underestimate the power of a good interactive huddle with your employees. These quick meetings help get everyone up to speed with the most urgent concerns of the business. You can schedule one at the start of every work week and encourage every member to share any issues, progress reports, and questions they might have.
Huddles will not only improve the team’s working dynamic but also show employees that you are a hands-on boss who cares about their well-being and contribution to the organization. Billionaire entrepreneur, philanthropist, and author Richard Branson did say, “Take care of your employees and they will take care of your business.”
Here’s how you can make the most out of weekly team huddles:
- Set a standard time limit for the huddle, say twenty minutes to an hour, so everyone can prepare what to say, and limit the discussion to high-priority concerns only.
- If a member raises a concern that requires more in-depth discussion, schedule a separate meeting with them.
- Make employees look forward to the huddle by including guest speakers, ice breakers, and food.
Today’s fast-paced business landscape requires constant improvement, and this growth-oriented attitude should be embodied by leaders such as yourself. That said, always pay attention to your current system and what little things you can do to optimize it.
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