The availability of Facebook updates, innumerable cat videos, and the fascinating GIF-based Buzzfeed articles have exacerbated the problem some organizations have with the company water cooler effect. It is, after all, fairly easy to get distracted during those particularly long work days. Unfortunately, that can mean waning performance, and that’s not a blind performance management misstep; organizations know their lapses performance management. An Aberdeen Group report notes that 60% of all organizations surveyed said they need to improve workforce planning capabilities to drive workforce management efforts. 

Even though too much chatter around the proverbial water cooler can lead to productivity concerns, that arena for workplace bonding is necessary. There has to be a balance between workforce motivation and team interaction. If you’re unsure how to poise professional communication with team development, here are 4 ways to instill better time management practices. 

1. Be on Time

You expect your candidates to be on time, right? That means you need to have better time management and show up on time as well. This shows candidates and new hires you (and the organization) posit time as a valuable asset. For example, if you start a training session 5 minutes behind schedule, your new hires are primed to the same behavior. Because a key symptom of disengagement is a lack of responsibility, (being late to work, leaving early, or missing deadlines), new hires may come to reflect this attitude and behavior. This is particularly detrimental for the organization because actively disengaged employees cost the U.S. between $450 billion and $550 billion every year in productivity.

2. Designate Time

Assigning your team an allotted amount of time to work on a particular project or to brainstorm helps the team to make the most of the time they have. Prompt your employees with deadlines so they finish their assignments on time. Give them leeway, however, to ask for more time if they need it for a particular project. Consider designating a bit of time before your employees start on major projects to get quick, intelligent ideas on the table from the beginning to shorten the amount of time spent on the assignment. This group ensures they spend their time effectively and not scrounging through their email or social media sites. 

3. Collaboration is Key

Encourage and train your team to come to work prepared to interact and collaborate with coworkers. It increases the quality of their work relationships and gives them a chance to speak with leadership in a casual manner to increase transparency. Collaborating with mentors at work creates learning opportunities and insights into professional development they wouldn’t normally have in their day-to-day responsibilities. Crystal Miller (@TheOneCrystal), DriveThru HR Show Strategist, said: 

“Great workplaces often share a sense of transparency and empowerment - they WANT employees to feel invested and informed.” 

This collaboration throughout the company leadership ladder instigates a culture of knowledge sharing which is critical to not only internal hiring practices but succession planning as well. Allowing your team the time to work and think together is beneficial for organizational growth and individual employee development. 

4. End on time

You and your team arrive to meetings on time (perhaps even early) - that’s a common expectation. However, everyone in the office has things to do, important things, so it’s just as vital that the meetings end on time as well. Your team needs to understand the value of time management, and conducting meetings in the same timely manner shows just that. Ken Blanchard (@kenblanchard), co-author of The One Minute Manager said: 

“If people don’t have a clear understanding of where they are going and what they need to focus on, they can’t perform at their highest level.”

Managers with better performance management have 50% less staff turnover, 30% more efficient customer experience and 40% higher employee engagement. Accomplish your best training practices through better management of your own time and respecting the time of your employees to create a happy, efficient office. Eliminate those common office distractions and get your workforce on track, engaged and at full-power.

Bio: Sean Pomeroy

While selling other companies software solutions, Sean worked with Michael Warden to design over a dozen applications for different organizations and industries over the years. Sean now focuses on the vision for the company, business development, and continues involvement in the software design of Cyber Recruiter, applicant tracking system and Cyber Train, learning management system. Want to see what Visibility Software has to offer? Take a demo now.

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