Our lives are becoming increasingly hectic. It’s been proven time and again when personal life is well looked after then productivity in the workplace goes up.
Our lives are becoming increasingly hectic. It’s been proven time and again when personal life is well looked after then productivity in the workplace goes up.
1. Launch a test pilot
Practice makes perfect. If you feel you are missing a level of flexibility in your workplace, but you don’t know how to approach it, look at how other people in your situation are handling it and give it a trial run. You will quickly find out what is working and what is not and can tweak it accordingly.
2. Accountability
Set the tasks at hand with a deadline. This holds everyone accountable and ensures the work needing to be done is still getting done, but allows for a work/life balance. You gain trust in yourself when you feel trusted by employers.
Microsoft’s chief envisioning officer, Dave Coplin, told Metro, “When your boss allows you to perform your tasks away from their gaze, it empowers the worker and benefits the company.” Not everyone works best between 9-5, but if the work is getting done, there’s no issue.
3. Production meetings
Host meetings so you know where everyone is at. These should be held at least once a week initially to better establish how the strategies are affecting everyone. If you’re dealing with those who are working from home, Skype meetings work a treat.
4. Know your hurdles
There is always going to be hurdles to overcome, unfortunately that’s life. The best way to overcome hurdles and avoid mountains is to prepare yourself for them. There’s no point burying your head in the sand and expecting smooth sailing ahead, but by following steps five and six any hurdle will stay just that, a small hurdle.
5. Keep open communication
“If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s to listen to your staff,” Sir Richard Branson told Mediaplanet. Be honest with each other and talk to your staff openly about what they are enjoying about the increased flexibility and their advice on any changes that need to be made. Employers will see things in a completely different way, so discussing these opinions and ideas among your team will enable you to reach a new level of understanding.
6. Be understanding
And on that note, be open to the ideas that are presented to you. Understand where your staff are coming from. When you feel valued it’s second nature to do your best for those who make you feel that way.
When it comes to business, and making business work for everyone involved, this man knows it all so we will finish on his wise words: “If a business is good, does good, and makes others feel good, then it creates its own legacy.” – Sir Richard Branson.
By Natalia Rietveld
