Most people struggle to make the best use of their time. It’s not an HR problem—it’s a human problem.
This human problem also adds up to a financial problem. Wasted time and inefficient employees rack up trillions of dollars in lost productivity every year. And that’s even when the economy is healthy. But when inflation keeps climbing and interest rates are going up, businesses must help their workers make the best use of company time.
If you can help workers feel appreciated and recognized, they will be more productive.
Many workers are overwhelmed with the sense that they simply aren’t “enough” to accomplish everything they want to do. And they tend to think that by simply doing more of what they are already doing, they will be more productive and fulfilled. Yet, it seems like their output falls short of their input. Often, it seems like 1+1 = ½.
What’s wrong?
It’s the nature of modern office work. Repetitive, uninspired work is just plain boring and creates an environment ripe for human errors. A large portion of office computer usage is detrimental to productivity, and it results in employees costing organizations more money than they realize.
We mentioned this last week, but let’s talk about multi-tasking in greater detail:
Is multi-tasking a good skill for an employee to have?
Studies show that multitasking is counterproductive, harms the brain, and reduces cognitive performance. A multi-tasking worker becomes 40% less productive because the mental resources for switching back and forth between tasks are substantial. Over time, a person can even become less resilient to emotional stress, impacting their mental health. Multitasking results in the global economy losing an estimated $450 billion dollars, annually, and that’s just one form of inefficiency.
EfficientMe and Synergy
EfficientMe works on the concept of synergy. Synergy is the phenomenon we experience when 1+1 is greater than 2. It’s easy to snap a single stick. But if you combine 3 sticks, breaking them is much more difficult.
That’s what happens when we use computers and people to do the tasks that suit them. People are essential for doing intellectual tasks such as planning, creating, and problem-solving together with other people. Computers are better suited to organizing structured data such as the information in a spreadsheet. There’s simply no need for a person to do what a computer can do faster and with greater accuracy.
The original purpose of the personal computer was to empower knowledge workers. It was a tool to accomplish specific tasks more quickly. As graphical interfaces, processing speeds, and networking capabilities increased, computers began to consume more and more of a worker’s time and attention.
People have many choices when they arrive at their desks. From email to news sites, and social media, the lines between discrete business tasks and daily personal routines are quite blurry. If workers don’t feel their worth and the value of their work, they won’t want to get started and will constantly lose focus. But when workers are dialed in, doing work they love, they don’t even feel time passing.
When people, processes, and technology are working harmoniously, people get to enjoy these flow states more often. Then, the business profits from fully engaged, and fully alive workers.
The 3 services of EfficientMe work synergistically to have a powerful impact on business’ efficiency. Any one of the services is powerful, but the combined synergistic effect of all 3 is a game-changing powerhouse for productivity!
The 3 services are:
By rethinking your organization’s approach to work and by making cultural changes that support employees, you can save thousands of dollars per employee annually. Additionally, you can increase profits by using the extra 12 hours per week per employee to add additional sales with no increase to overhead costs. Or you can finally use those employees to solve bigger problems with your systems and processes.
More importantly, you can build a company where employees are empowered to bring their best and do their best work. In this environment, there are no losers.
Inspiration From 1984
The original unveiling of the Apple Macintosh Computer promised freedom for knowledge workers. It gave them a more human way of interacting with computers to increase productivity. It’s time to get back to this vision of freedom for office workers!
