#28 The Myth Of Time-Wasting (The Six-Minute Increment)
May 27, 2008
Sometimes it is time well spent simply to stop and have a chat and some social interaction. It builds bonds, reduces stress and encourages people to feel that they are part of a team.
The days of the business ‘overlord’ are long gone; progressive businesses are looking for ways to encourage their staff to be productive in their own way. At long last we realise that people work in different ways. Trying to squeeze everyone into the same mould is an outdated concept.
The reference in the heading to the six-minute increment relates to the common practice in professional services firms, like accounting and law firms, for staff to have to report on how their time was spent (and which client should be billed) for every six-minute period. Clearly a good way to encourage productivity and accountability, but it does create a stressful environment and isn’t overly conducive to free-thinking, creativity and individuality-traits once considered a problem but now highly sought after.
There is no doubt that some people do waste time and probably don’t do their job as effectively as they should. But there needs to be some understanding that as human beings we are social animals, which means we need time to interact and be social. Sure, there are breaks for this, but as business owners, the better our staff perform the greater the results we achieve. If they are happy and surrounded by a positive environment that is enjoyable to work in, they will do better work-trust in the system.
What can I do today?
Start to reprogram the way you think. Don’t make your staff feel uncomfortable when you come around. Get to know them better and look at this time as a significant investment in the future of your business. It is amazing what you can learn about your business when you take the time to talk to those who actually run it.
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By N2H
