Author: Beth

We have created 9 new learning workshops to provide the right knowledge, attitudes, skills and habits that businesses need to survive and thrive in 2020.

The workshops are not only professionally designed to address the main challenges and concerns which businesses are currently facing, but they are also now available via a simple on-line booking process – a unique proposition in this sector, but one which recognises the importance of convenience for businesses who are already time-poor.

With themes such as ‘High Performing Teams’ ‘Communicating & Influencing’ and ‘Time Management’, these invaluable learning opportunities are hitting the big topics head-on and providing businesses with an armoury of skills to tackle their biggest frustrations and the biggest risks to their future.

Mental health and well-being also feature strongly in our new workshops; since this is something which affects 1 in 4 of us, the ability to ‘up-skill’ and develop ways to deal with pressure, time-management and relationships will be high on many agendas in 2020.

Introducing us to this new series of much-anticipated workshops, our M.D. Amanda Riddle, told us:

“We believe in bringing learning to the heart of your business and everything we do is focused around employees becoming the best they can be, as well as adding value to your business. I’m very excited to be launching these high impact learning workshops, which are the product of many years’ experience of recognising what really makes the difference. Especially at a time when employees more than ever before want to improve their personal skills and employers are truly investing in their people, as there is an unimaginable amount of pressure placed upon them. Brexit uncertainty is just one more thing which employers and their teams need to face, and face together. The greatest asset in any business is your people and recognising this during challenging times – and resisting the temptation to cut budgets on training, when finances are squeezed – is essential to survival and growth.”

And, referring to the accessibility of the workshops, made possible by our new, streamlined website she added:

“Wow what a great opportunity to offer our clients an e-commerce website which I hope they love as much as we do, it’s easy to access our services and book learning. We’ve taken away the time-consuming steps which can sometimes be the barrier to getting this kind of support and hopefully our clients will find it user-friendly.”

Take up for the 9 very timely learning workshops is expected to be high, so we will no doubt succeed in our objective of “Bringing learning to the heart of our client’s business”.

It’s a common problem that everyone faces – feeling that you have a hundred tasks to do and not enough time to get them done. By making some simple changes to the way you and your team works, you can all pull together and achieve your goals, without burning out in the process.

Here are some of our top tips for improving your time and self-management.

Prioritise your workload

A long list of tasks can be overwhelming. Break it down and look at the most important tasks first. These could be time-critical tasks that need completing quickly or tasks with tight deadlines – focus on those instead of tasks that you could complete later.

In a fast-paced world, you’re often asked to complete tasks ASAP. Don’t be afraid to ask for a more specific deadline – that’ll help you fit it in around your other priorities.

Don’t be afraid of asking for help

You and your colleagues are all in the same boat. If you’re finding that you’re becoming swamped by the pressures of others, delegating tasks out to the people around you can ease that burden.

Of course, that’s often easier said than done, but by distributing your workload evenly around the team, you can concentrate on the more pressing tasks and be reassured that the rest of your to-do list is in safe hands. You might even get some new ideas from your colleagues which will help you in the future.

Knowledge is power

Talking of learning from others, there are plenty of resources available to help you maximise your time and productivity. This could be a famous figure who you aspire to be, which can act as inspiration, or sharing best practices from the other members of the office.

Take a look at online videos about time management or consider reading up on the methods successful business owners used to grow their companies and manage their workloads.

To get you started, ‘Eat the Frog’ by Brian Tracy is one of our recommended reads if you’re looking for some great tips on time management.

The importance of looking ahead

Though it’s practically impossible to predict the future, careful planning helps you prepare for what might happen. For example, ask yourself what time you will have a certain task completed by and at what time will you need to ask for help.

Planning ahead is also essential for when colleagues are away on holiday or ill. Again, this can be where delegation also plays a role – make sure everyone in the office is aware and fully prepped for the absence and put together a plan of action for clearing those tasks.

Eliminate distractions

In any given hour, how much of that are you actually working? If you’re spending more time responding to emails or chatting, then you should look at addressing those.

We’re not saying your office should be completely silent like a library – discussions are healthy and can lead to fresh ideas – but it may be an idea to implement specific times of the day for complete focus and catch up on things like football or Game of Thrones afterwards.

Headphones can also help here – you can block out distractions from others and showing them that you’re ‘in the zone’ so to speak.

Training for your team

Here at Outlook Partnerships, we’re here to help your teams be the most productive they can be. We hope that we’ve given you some starting points about time and self-management here, though there’s bound to be others you can use in your own business.

Our Time & Self Management workshop will help you identify areas you and your team can improve when it comes to managing your time and learning how to voice your concerns if you need help. It will also enable your colleagues to take control of their work and consistently achieve the best possible results.

Find out more about our workshop by calling 01455 272493 or email amanda@outlookpartnerships.co.uk.

Managing a team of employees is one of the greatest challenges you’ll face as a business owner. Getting the most out of them is just as important.

Unmotivated employees or team members not working to their full potential has a direct impact on your business and it can be frustrating when this leads to negative business results. Here are some suggestions for maximising productivity in your employees.

Focus on Training & Development

Not providing your employees with the right training for the job can have significant implications. Budgets are always tight but having a set amount aside for personal development will lead to great results in the long-run.

Training can also give your employees new skills that they never knew they possessed, as well as helping them hone their existing ones. This means that they can give you their absolute best in the office or even potentially become managers later down the line, ensuring you retain that talent.

Offer Employee Incentives

Everyone loves a treat or reward to celebrate success and your employees are no different. When considering employee incentives, it’s important to consider personal tastes and preferences – after all, everyone is different.

There’s no limit to what you can offer as incentives. These can simply be sharing the success with the management team or customers on social media, through to a meal out at the end of the month or even bonuses and early finishes. All of which are effective ways of enhancing morale and offering encouragement.

Break down & distribute tasks across the team

It’s understandable that you want to keep control of your business and activities, but constantly checking every detail adds to your own workload and impacts on efficiency.

Distributing tasks out evenly to your team not only helps take the pressure off you but encourages trust and helps them to personally develop their own skills, rather than leaving the bulk of the work to any one person. Remember that age-old saying, “there’s no I in team”.

Teamwork & collaborative working

Talking of teamwork, employees often try to take on tasks themselves. When you do work effectively with others you do get things done quicker and still to a higher standard.

By encouraging teamwork and collaboration, your employees can gain a greater understanding of the task and as a result, complete the task efficiently by supporting one another. Collaborative working also helps enhance trust within your workforce and helps them build their confidence for later projects.

A positive culture is a winning culture

Having employees who enjoy their work and being in a positive environment is a key part of getting the most from their output. By creating a positive culture where everyone feels equally supported, you can then create a stronger team.

Implementing a company culture where everyone feels valued, respected, and able to discuss issues openly leads to employees who work harder because they want to, and because they’re able to tap into your ethos – hard work which translates into results.

One task at a time

Research shows that multitasking directly impacts on efficiency and productivity. It’s hard for employees to give their all to one task when they’re distracted by another on their second computer screen.

This is where planning and delegation once again come into their own. By working with your employees to understand what tasks they have on their lists, you can help them to break tasks down one by one and prevent them from being overwhelmed by their workload.

Take Action

There are many other ways you can enhance productivity in your workplace, but we hope that these ones have at least got you thinking about the steps you might want to take.

At Outlook Partnerships, we’re here to help you develop your business and employees. Our Motivation and Engaging workshop enables you to get an understanding of why employees might not be working to the best of their abilities and what you can do to support them. The workshop also shows you what you can do to encourage employees and give them the right motivation.

 

Take a look at our workshops or get in touch with us for more details.