End-of-year productivity is both essential and difficult to achieve. Because the last few weeks of the year are bustling with activity, they’re the time when your customers may be in need of your services the most. Paradoxically, this is also when your team has the tendency to be the most distracted. Achieving high levels of productivity at the end of the year is less about what you have to do than it is about how you set your team up to get it done. Today, we’re going over a three-part productivity plan that helps you make sure you and your team have the resources, motivation, and organization you need in order to achieve great things before the year is up. Let’s dive into the go-to end-of-year productivity plan for your business.
Step One: Set Up For Success
The end of the year is the time of resolutions: it’s when it becomes more tempting than ever to push to tomorrow what we could, truthfully, do today. Rather than lumping the inefficiencies or speed bumps in your productivity into a “to-do” list for next year’s first quarter, address them now. This won’t just allow you to start the year off fresh and on the right foot; it’ll allow you to get more done in these last few weeks of 2020 than you might have otherwise. For example, if your team members are having trouble tracking their workload, or if you’ve found it difficult to manage project timelines, look into and implement a new project management software now. Platforms like Asana, Wrike, and Monday are relatively affordable and can do wonders for helping to streamline your internal processes.
Speaking of making the most of your internal processes: even the most sophisticated time tracking and project management software are useless unless you have a reliable source of power. A common mistake made by Florida business owners is thinking that generators aren’t essential; after all, hurricane season only lasts a couple of months, right? In reality, power outages happen year-round – and, in a year full of unprecedented challenges, it’s more important than ever to make sure that your company isn’t set back by otherwise preventable hurdles, like unforeseen power loss. Invest in a high-quality commercial generator so that you can rest assured that you’ll be able to remain productive through the rest of the year and far beyond.
Step Two: Pass the Mic to Your Team
Your team is the most important resource your business has – not just for getting things done, but for diagnosing and addressing any productivity issues that may exist. Show your team that you value their input and prioritize their happiness by asking them to sound off about their experiences in the past year: from internal procedures to workload, investigate what has worked for them and what hasn’t. Enable team members to submit their responses anonymously so that you can receive the most honest feedback possible. At the same time, make yourself available to one-on-one meetings with employees who wish to speak to you directly. Opening the floor to your employees’ feedback doesn’t just improve their morale and make them feel valued; it’s an extremely important opportunity for you to address the most impactful inefficiencies and obstacles in your company right away.
Step Three: Use the End-of-Year Energy to Your Advantage
The end of the year is buzzing with energy: from various holidays to the excitement of the next year’s new opportunities, this is a time that can boost productivity just as easily as it can hinder it. Keep your team on track by setting clear, measurable goals for the end of the year. Keep them happy and motivated by showing them just how much you value them: distribute hand-written thank-you cards, set up monthly rewards or incentives for end-of-year accomplishments, and encourage team-building gatherings or activities outside of work hours. Don’t try to work against the end-of-year excitement; rather, work with it to help harness your team’s energy into something productive and morale-boosting.
Keeping your team members happy goes hand-in-hand with keeping them productive. When coming up with a successful end-of-year productivity plan for your business, preparation is key. Start by setting yourself up for success with a reliable power source that you can count on during even the busiest parts of your year. To learn more about commercial generators, or to get a free quote on a commercial generator installation, just click right here.