When we talk about efficiency, normally we’re thinking about how it affects the bottom line. Streamlining your business can help you save a lot of money, but that’s not all it can do. It also has significant benefits for your team as well. Here, we’re going to explore some of them and how to be more employee-oriented when choosing how to trim the fat.

Their way to approach their work

One of the best reasons to start a home business is that you have relative freedom and control over your own workspace and how you work. More businesses are starting to apply those benefits to employees through remote working contracts, as well. Often paired with some work hour flexibility, it allows employees the opportunity to find the space they can be most productive in, while also saving you a lot of money thanks to reduced office space, furniture, and equipment costs.

A little help from a friend

Outsourcing isn’t there to replace the role that an in-house employee could take, though sometimes it can be more cost-effective. As this remote IT support firm says, it can “reduce time spent on solving issues”, too, by offering them the tools to be more self-sufficient while also reducing the amount of busy work they have to do. If your admin staff are spending their time on trying to troubleshoot their tech, it gets in the way of the work they’re supposed to be doing. Outsourced services take the distractions off their plate, so they can remain focused.

Setting communication standards

Inefficient communication is a kind of roadblock that’s predominantly going to affect the team. If they find it hard to determine the right channel to reach a particular person, or don’t have easy access to resources that should have been shared with them, a lot of their day can be spent chasing people down and waiting for them to send the information and resources they need. This project management tool is an example of tech that can help you set a consistent platform for communication across the board, by setting up individual groups and offering a space where people can quickly share information and resources with those most relevant.

Autonomy works better for everyone

Less a system to be implemented and more a habit for business owners and managers to learn, getting away from micromanagement helps everyone involved. Learning to trust and empower employees to work on their own can help them find the most productive ways of doing their job. What’s more, having a constant presence over their shoulder is only going to make them more nervous and uncomfortable, increasing the chances they will make mistakes and stopping them from fully engaging in their own work.

Efficiency isn’t just about being mean and lean, it’s about creating the best possible work environment for your team, so they can get more done, achieve more, and free up the time they need for the work they’re most engaged with. Hopefully, the examples above show you how to take that approach.