These simple tips will help improve the efficiency of your employees. Improving employee performance: effective ways

There are four prerequisites that are necessary in order to successfully implement the concept of lean manufacturing in the office. You must always remember them and fulfill them, no matter what stage of transformation you are at. Without them, you won't be successful. Each of the conditions implies that you will try to understand your employees, explain the new principles of work to them and involve them in the implementation of the new concept. These four conditions are the foundation upon which everything else will rest.

Condition 1. Behavior-Attitude-Culture Model

This condition will minimize the resistance of staff to change. The first step in implementing lean principles is to change the behavior of your employees if you want to create a culture of continuous improvement in all processes in your organization. Your employees need to understand that positive change (i.e. implementing lean principles) will help the organization succeed in the long run.

This condition will help your employees understand why the organization's workflow may not be entirely effective. As the company grows and the volume of work increases, reducing waste should be a top priority in all areas of its activity. Employees of the company must realize that each type of administrative process has costs. In the section on the second condition, we will explain how to communicate the need for change to staff.

Condition 3. Seven types of losses

Lean tools and principles help organizations identify and eliminate seven types of waste. The old adage "You can't manage what you can't see" can be rephrased as "You can't improve what you can't understand." It is essential that employees acquire basic knowledge about losses and learn how to understand them.

Condition 4: Management Commitment

The implementation of the principles of lean manufacturing should take place from the top down. Senior executives must be 100% committed to positive change in the company and 100% convinced that a lean enterprise must be created to sustain existing successes or reach new heights. Collaboration between the leadership at the head of the organization and employees interested in change is the guarantee that lean principles will not only be adopted, but also become an integral part of the company's long-term development strategy.

Condition 1. Behavior-Attitude-Culture Model

To be successful in any process improvement, it is essential to understand the behaviors and attitudes of people working in an office or task.

In the 1990s in the United States, concepts such as “teamwork”, “autonomous working groups”, “employee involvement”, “empowered teams”, etc. arose. Independent working groups, consisting of ordinary employees, were supposed to change the organizational culture of companies. Strict control by managers was becoming a thing of the past, workers were taking more and more part in the management of the company. The idea was right, but there were not enough tools to achieve the desired results. Nevertheless, in the course of such projects it was possible to learn a lot of useful things.

When introducing into practice such concepts as “team leader”, “teamwork” and “autonomous working groups”, people were faced with the question of what and how to do it.

The mere expansion of powers (without special tools) did not bring the desired results. There were some successes, but they were not supported by anything and, therefore, the initiative quickly faded away.

The figure shows that American managers first tried to change the corporate culture, expecting a subsequent change in the views and behavior of subordinates. Upon closer examination of the concept of lean manufacturing and the Toyota Production System, the researchers found a completely different approach. They found that the use of lean tools first changed the behavior of people who sought to identify and eliminate waste. Once workers began to feel they could control their site, reducing waste and making their job easier, their views changed: they realized the need for continuous improvement of all processes. Along with the views of each individual employee, the culture of the organization as a whole changed radically. The main principle of work was not to identify errors, but to prevent them, which, in fact, is the essence of lean production.

The Behavior-Attitude-Culture model, which is based on the philosophy of lean manufacturing, is simple. Its implementation requires constant efforts both on the part of management and on the part of ordinary employees. Work habits are hard to break. It takes discipline, determination, and perseverance to make an organization grow. The first small successes will serve as an impetus from a change in the behavior and attitudes of people to a change in the entire organizational culture.

Knowledge Possession

Another important point regarding the traditional approach to organizing office work is that, as a rule, an individual employee of the company is the bearer of 80% of knowledge about a particular process. This can cause problems if the employee falls ill, goes on vacation or business, changes jobs, or quits. In these cases, the job cannot be completed. The narrow specialization of personnel and the concentration of knowledge in one or a few people can be serious obstacles to the development of the company.

Since in cases where managers do not have the necessary knowledge (they are poorly versed in a particular process), they can only support their subordinates, the effectiveness of the organization is jeopardized for the following reasons:

Building a Lean Office includes (but is not limited to):

1. The focus is on processes, not employees.
2. Organizational knowledge is easily transferred from one person to another.
3. There is a detailed understanding of work processes, which allows them to be better controlled and continuously improved.
4. Process knowledge is standardized for maximum uniformity.
5. Losses are identified and eliminated as they occur (daily, hourly and minutely).

These five principles will allow an employee to better understand not only his own work, but also the work that his colleagues do. Thanks to this, knowledge about the processes is distributed within the group.

Change doesn't happen instantly. Any changes should be implemented in stages.

Stage one. Convince others and set the right direction

In most cases, company employees are carriers of 80% of information about processes, and managers (or organization) - 20%. This step also explains why the organization should be the knowledge carrier. It can take up to six months to complete.

Stage two. Organize your workflow

Employees will only control 50% of process knowledge, while managers (or the organization) will control the remaining 50%. The tools will systematize the knowledge of employees and transfer it to the organization so that everyone can feel the positive changes. This stage can take from six months to one year.

Stage three. Save your progress

At the third stage of the transition to a lean office, the company's employees will begin to quietly participate in the continuous improvement of all business processes on a daily basis. 80% of knowledge will now be structured within the new approach to work. It is hard to believe that 100% of process knowledge can be held by an organization. At this stage, it is necessary to begin the process of gradual, systematic documentation of knowledge.

A key success factor for implementing Lean in the office and for maintaining the results achieved is continuous, daily improvement. As the behavior of your employees changes, you will need to introduce a reward system to somehow mark the changes that are taking place. People who adapt easily to change will quickly accept the new system. They will immediately see its benefits. Those who adapt slowly to change may resist and hold on to old principles. Be patient: sooner or later, the new concept will speak for itself, and employees will feel the benefits. Lean office cannot be achieved in one fell swoop. You need to take many small, gradual steps every day.

Condition 2: Business case for moving to lean

For a company to remain globally competitive, managers need to focus on costs. Administrative, or office, expenses account for the bulk of the cost of a product or service. Administrative costs are usually 60-80% of the final price of the product. To remain competitive, companies are cutting back on their administrative costs intensively. Toyota has created a whole philosophy of cost reduction. Market conditions (a constant in the equation) determine the selling price. Cost and profit are variable. The desire of companies to reduce internal costs served as an impetus for the improvement of all business processes.

Thanks to the philosophy and tools of lean manufacturing, any organization can reduce its internal costs by eliminating waste and thus remain competitive in the global market. In order to eliminate losses in administrative processes, they must first be identified, and this requires a detailed understanding of what waste is.

Condition 3. Seven types of losses

The goal of lean manufacturing is to identify, analyze and eliminate all waste in the production process. The work of eliminating waste must continue every day, every hour, every minute. The new approach primarily to the department does not mean reducing people, but the reasonable use of their labor and increasing its value for the organization. Therefore, the management of the company may need to review the content of the work or job responsibilities of the staff so that they meet the principles of efficient production.

To better understand the concept of lean manufacturing, you must first understand waste. It is important to identify losses at the lowest level.

Waste is all operations that require time and resources, but do not add value to the finished product or service. The consumer pays for value; Losses are any transactions your organization makes with a product or service that your customers may be paying for when they shouldn't be. As consumers become more and more aware of the true cost of goods and services, they expect companies to optimize their costs and eliminate waste. Customers need stable prices and lower prices as a result of savings. Organizational losses have to be paid by consumers. As a result of all this, we see that:

• the daily cost of treatment differs in different hospitals;
• mortgage application processing fees, as well as mortgage rates vary significantly between different lending institutions;
• there is a large variation in tuition fees in higher education institutions;
• annual interest rates for different credit cards vary greatly;
• the price of a particular construction project offered by different contractors can vary significantly.

Such variability in all of these and many other examples arises from the amount of "acceptable" loss by an organization (regardless of how they are defined).

1. Overproduction

Doing a certain type of work before it is required is a waste. This is the worst of all kinds of losses, because overproduction leads to other losses.

Examples of overproduction:

• writing reports that no one reads and that no one needs;
• making extra copies of documents;
• sending the same document by e-mail or fax several times;
• entering repetitive information into multiple documents;
• pointless meetings.

Tools to eliminate overproduction:

• takt time;
• pitch;
• standardized work;
• workload balancing;
• study of the need for a particular operation.

2. Waiting (time in queue)

Any expectation (of people, signatures, information, etc.) is a loss. This type of loss can be compared to a low-hanging apple, which is easy to reach, pick and use for its intended purpose. We often don't consider paper lying in the incoming document tray as a source of wastage. However, remember how many times we sort through this tray, trying to find something we need? How many times do you start something before you finish it? To get rid of this type of loss, it is necessary to follow the principle of "finished - filed (or thrown away)".

Examples of losses of the second type:

• a large number of mandatory signatures and permits;
• dependence on other employees in the performance of any task;
• delays in obtaining information;
• software problems;
• task execution different departments;

Tools for eliminating losses of the second type:

• pitch;
• couriers;
• document management system.

3. Movement

Any movement of people, documents and/or electronic communications that do not create value is a waste. This type of waste occurs due to poor office layout, faulty or outdated office equipment, and lack of necessary supplies. These losses are insidious and imperceptible in those office processes that have not been analyzed for possible improvements. Regardless of the industry, you can find employees in a company who look "busy" but don't really add value to the product or service. Lean tools can help you identify, reduce, and/or eliminate Type 3 waste.

Examples of losses of the third type:

• search for files on the computer;
• search for documents in the file cabinet;
• constant re-reading of reference books in search of information;
• performance of one task by different departments in the absence of effective interaction;
• lack of responsibility for the performance of any task.

Tools for eliminating losses of the third type:

• standardized work;
• redevelopment of the workspace;
• pull system and supermarket;
• document tracking.

4. Move

Useless movement of documents affects the time required to complete any work in the office. Even with free access to the Internet and e-mail, documents of little or no value are often sent to clients. To organize effective work, it is important to reduce or eliminate this type of waste, for which it is necessary to divide all work into successive operations and arrange them as close as possible to each other. If it is impossible to get rid of the movement of documents between processes, then it should be automated as much as possible. Ask yourself the following questions, for example: “Is the office layout optimal?” or “Is the transfer of documents from one stage of work to another automated?”.

Examples of losses of the fourth type:

• sending unnecessary documents;
• too frequent registration of documents in progress;
• too many addresses on the mailing list;
• manual transfer of documents to the next stage of work;
• performance of one task by several departments;
• wrong prioritization.

Tools for eliminating losses of the fourth type:

• uniform distribution of the workload;
• value stream map;
• continuous flow;
• document management system;
• standardized work;
• means of visual control.

5. Over-processing

Doing work that is not required by the internal or external customer is the fifth type of waste. Excessive processing does not create value for the client, and he should not pay for it. In administrative processes, these losses are the most difficult to detect. To do this, you can, for example, ask the following questions: “What are the main operations that need to be performed to satisfy the needs of the client?” or “How clearly do we understand the needs of our customers?”.

Examples of losses of the fifth type:

• duplicate reports or information;
• entering repetitive data;
• dissemination of false information;
• constant editing of documents;
• inefficient meetings and lack of an agenda;
• lack of clear project planning.

Tools for eliminating losses of the fifth type:

• data collection methods;
• document tracking;
• standardized work;
• document management system.

6. Stocks (time)

Piles of papers, extra stationery, a large number of signatures on documents - all these are losses. They take up space and time. If the processing of a document is suspended until additional information (signature, etc.) is received and the situation changes, then the time spent on this document can be attributed to losses. In an office, there are two main types of wastage that can be categorized as "inventory": 1) office supplies and 2) time.

Examples of losses of the sixth type:

• documents awaiting someone's signature or visa;
• work that requires the completion of other processes to continue;
• outdated documents;
• outdated office equipment;
• inadequate training of support staff;
• buying extra office supplies.

Tools for elimination of losses of the sixth type:

• value stream map;
• standardized work;
• kanban cards for stationery;
• workload leveling - heijunka;
• visual pitch;
• document management system.

7. Marriage

Waste due to defects includes any processing that resulted in defects and additional processing necessary to eliminate them. Rejection (both internal and external) entails additional document processing that does not add value to the product or service. Getting a job right the first time takes less time than redoing it. Correction of marriage is a waste that increases the cost of any product or service, and the consumer does not have to pay for them. Losses of this kind can significantly reduce profits.

Examples of losses of the seventh type:

• data entry errors;
• errors in setting prices;
• transfer of incomplete documentation to the next stages of processing;
• loss of documents or information;
• incorrect information in the document;
• inefficient organization of files on a computer or folders in a file cabinet;
• improper selection of employees for customer service.

Tools for eliminating losses of the seventh type:

• providing a predictable result;
• means of visual control;
• standardized work;
• document management system;
• log of stops and unscheduled tasks;
• short organizational meetings;
• error prevention tools.

8. Irrational use of labor force

In many cases, the irrational use of labor is the eighth type of waste. Human labor is used irrationally when workers perform tasks that do not require all their knowledge, skills and abilities to create value. A proper performance management system can greatly reduce this type of waste. Develop a corporate strategy and methodology for assigning people to areas where they will bring the most value to the organization.

Examples of losses of the eighth type:

• violation of the deadlines for the implementation of projects;
• uneven distribution of the workload due to insufficiently broad staff qualifications;
• frequent absenteeism and high staff turnover;
• inadequate performance management system;
• insufficient assessment of professional skills before hiring.

Tools for eliminating losses of the eighth type:

• accounting of work processes;
• standardized work;
• document management system;
• short organizational meetings;
• rationale for moving to a lean office.

Consider the following questions.

1. How can I communicate information about losses to all employees of the organization?
2. What losses can be eliminated quickly?
3. What can be done to improve customer satisfaction immediately?

These questions will encourage others to think and help you have a productive conversation about loss.

Condition 4: Management involvement

Companies like Microsoft, Wal-Mart, Federal Express, GE, and Nike have one thing in common, a very important feature - the undisputed leader at the head, who is guided by the rest. Top managers Bill Gates, Sam Walton and Fred Smith are the core of their company. They are distinguished by exceptional insight, and it was they who turned their business into an immortal empire.

John Maxwell, in his book The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, describes his first law, the law of the ceiling, as follows: “The ability to lead determines the level of effectiveness of a person (organization). Strong leadership greatly enhances the capabilities of an organization. If leadership is weak, then the capacity of the organization is limited.”

It is important to understand that the transition to lean management is impossible without the 100% participation of the company's management. When a CEO, after reading about lean manufacturing in the Wall Street Journal on the plane on the way back from vacation, tells his top manager, "There's something in it," it doesn't mean he's ready for long-term change.

The leadership of the company should be driven by the desire for improvement. The top manager must take an active part in the implementation of new principles. Even if three people are involved in a pilot business process reengineering project, the top management of the company should be involved in it. This participation means:

• allocation of necessary resources;
• attendance at the kick-off meeting;
• advising the team if necessary;
• showing interest in team achievements and attending team meetings;
• rewarding the team based on performance;
• support of team members in case of difficulties.

This list is by no means exhaustive, but it outlines the main ways in which company management can demonstrate their interest in lean management.

Time frame

Moving to a lean office can take anywhere from a few months to a few years. This will depend on the following factors:

1. Organization size. The smaller the organization, the less time it will take. In large companies (more than 500 office workers), you should first start pilot projects in one department, and then cover the entire company.
2. Availability of the necessary tools.
3. Awareness of the benefits. The reorganization of the office will be successful if the company is aware of the need to train staff in related professions, cooperation between departments, employ generalists rather than narrow specialists, use organizational knowledge and encourage partnerships between managers and subordinates.

PPP - Behavioral Examples of the Past

The efficiency of the work of subordinates can be increased by selecting suitable candidates at the stage of recruitment. Past Behavioral Examples are a great tool for testing a candidate's competence and integrity. In order to use it, you need to make a list of questions on topics that interest you (experience in making difficult decisions, manifestations of leadership, recruitment, experience in team building, negotiations, etc.), and then, when asking questions in an interview, carefully observe how the candidate formulates his answers.

In most cases, when the candidate gives this example, he describes all four components of the RFP: Situation, Purpose, Actions and Outcome. When he is cunning, he misses one of these four components. For example, to the question: "Tell me, how did you resolve conflicts that arise in your team?" the candidate responds: "I had a hidden leader in the team, and he interfered with me. I needed to put him in his place, and I achieved this - he quit a month later".

We see that the candidate does not accurately describe the situation, because does not explain what specifically prevented him from the hidden leader. It does not clearly describe the Purpose. And completely misses the moment of Action. Most likely, the candidate is cunning. We can check this by asking him clarifying questions about the components that have fallen out of his story: "And what specifically prevented you from this leader?", "What did you want to achieve from him?", "Tell me more about what you did for this?" If, answering additional questions, the candidate begins to stray from the topic, or speaks in general terms, most likely he is cunning. If he answers clearly, then most likely he has professional experience in this matter.

Return responsibility to the subordinate

If the subordinate did not complete the task, ask him "Why?" he didn't do it, but "Why?" Considering the fact that few people are ready to take responsibility for a poorly done job, then asking a subordinate a question: "Why didn't you comply?", you yourself encourage him to start looking for excuses for himself. When you ask a question "Why didn't you comply?", you encourage the subordinate to take responsibility, and next time he will think hard before doing the job carelessly.

"Translate into Russian" objections of subordinates

" Translate into Russian" means to understand the reason for the objection and return responsibility for the task to the subordinate. For example: " This task is not realistic to complete on time!" "That is, you do not know how to organizeownworking hours so as to have time to do it? Or " I can't do it. goals are too high!" "Are you saying you don't know how to reach those goals?" Or "I couldn't complete the goals because I have a weak team." "So you mean to say that you don't know how to manage your team?"

With a large number of objections between the leader and the team, a dispute or conflict situation may arise. To avoid disputes, you can soften objections. To do this, you can join the objection: " I couldn't complete the plan. outlets have receivables!" "That's why you need to collect receivables from them in advance!" Or you can single out a single fact: " This task is too difficult for me!" "Indeed, you have different tasks in terms of complexity." And after mitigation, it is already possible to proceed to the "translation into Russian".

Manage employee behavior

Employees shape their behavior based on their view of the world and often do not know what it means to "work well" in the view of the manager. Such misunderstanding, in the end, causes dissatisfaction on the part of the authorities, and then demotivation on the part of subordinates. The easiest way to get subordinates to behave the way you want is feedback.

In a meeting with an employee, describe the expected behavior from him and compare with how he usually behaves. Then agree with him about how he will change his behavior after your conversation.

The current behavior of the employee must be shown with concrete examples, otherwise he will perceive your feedback as an unfounded accusation. For example: "You've been late 3 times already in the last week. This is not acceptable behavior in our team. I expect you to be punctual both in showing up to work on time and in carrying out current tasks. Can you guarantee this for me?"

Check the readiness of the subordinate to complete the task

When you set a task for an employee, ask him to describe how and by what means he will achieve this task. This will help you understand his competence and check if he understands what to do. Use this tool when working with "beginners" who still don't know their job very well.

Teach subordinates to be accountable

Control is an important part of management, which can take from 30 to 80% of the manager's working time. Usually the leader sets the task, and then he controls the process or result. That is, he himself fixes to whom and what task is set, and when it needs to be controlled. It’s also good if all subordinates in your team have the same tasks. But what to do when you have several subordinates and each of them has his own line of work with different functionality and different tasks?

You can make the process of control easier for yourself if you teach subordinates to report to you on their own. To do this, together with subordinates, determine in what form and according to what criteria they will report. It is important that the subordinate understands that when he is given a task, he independently assigns intermediate and final control points and coordinates this with you. Then he monitors the execution of the task and reports himself.

Firstly, this approach allows you to keep abreast of events. Secondly, it allows you to achieve greater responsibility from your employees.

Get personal

When you praise a subordinate for something, you can increase the effect of such feedback. To do this, you need to give feedback according to the principle - first his positive personal quality, and then a behavioral example confirming this quality. If your employee always completes all tasks on time, what kind of personal quality can this indicate? For example, about responsibility or about diligence.

Feedback in this case will sound like this: "Vitaly, you are a very responsible person. Over the past six months, you have completed all the tasks on time. You were one of the first to complete the difficult task of launching the project. If you maintain such a high level of responsibility in the next six months, you will be able to qualify for a promotion (or you will get an additional two days for vacation, etc.)"

Important! Never get personal when you give negative feedback. With negative feedback, a completely different approach is needed.

We want your business to grow!

Any organization sooner or later faces the problem of increasing production efficiency. And it is not always about the economic component.

What methods to prefer when organizing such work is decided by the management of the enterprise. Based on the knowledge of the internal and external environment, the features of production processes, it is possible to develop a plan that will lead to the achievement of the intended goal.

What is meant by performance efficiency?

Enterprise efficiency is an economic category. This concept means the performance of the company, which can be expressed in:

• growth in production rates;
• reducing costs, tax burden;
• reducing the amount of emissions into the environment;
• labor, etc.

There are also scientific works that define the effectiveness of an organization as the effectiveness of an operation or project, in which the resulting product or new action brings more money than was spent. Or these manipulations save a certain amount of resources, which also exceeds the costs of the work associated with their implementation.

Efficiency Conditions

In most cases, in an effort to improve the efficiency of the organization, management expects to get a certain financial result. But this does not always reflect the strategic future of production. Therefore, it is believed that it is more correct to achieve growth rates. We can say that it was possible to achieve economic efficiency of production if:

• the resulting financial result is higher than that of competitors;
• the organization allocates sufficient resources to carry out production or management changes;
• growth rates of financial indicators will be higher in the short term than those of competitors.

This approach constantly motivates the search for solutions that increase the competitiveness of production. This is important in order to carry out work aimed at strategic development.

It is also important that each structural unit of the organization should be concerned about finding ways to increase its economic efficiency. After all, if one of them does not work well, the organization will not be able to improve its performance as a whole.

Tools for increasing efficiency

Ways to improve the efficiency of the enterprise are very diverse. The main ways to increase the profit of the organization are as follows:

• cost reduction, which can be achieved by reducing the price conditions for purchases, optimizing production, reducing staff or wage levels;
• modernization of processes or the entire production, which allows to achieve an increase in labor productivity, a decrease in the volume of processed raw materials, waste, automation of most operations;
• changes in the organizational system that can affect the management structure, principles of customer service, communication, etc.;
• strengthening marketing communications, when the task is to maximize the growth of sales of goods, changing attitudes towards the organization, finding new opportunities for production.

Each of these areas can be detailed and has its own methods of work. The entire management system in the company must be set up so that at any level, employees take the initiative, leading to increased economic efficiency.

Often, a set of measures that should increase the efficiency of work affects all blocks of activity at once. Such a systematic approach allows you to use a synergistic effect.

Factors Affecting Efficiency

If the management of the enterprise is interested in achieving improved results, it must analyze information about the state of the external and internal environment. Then it will be clear which of the existing factors should be used for the benefit of future strategic development. These include:

• Minimum resource usage. The less technology, equipment, personnel are used while maintaining the volume of output, the more effective the organization.
• Increasing the efficiency of personnel by optimizing the structure, improving qualifications and training, searching for more competent personnel, changing the motivation system.
• Increasing the efficiency of personnel by improving their health and improving working conditions. Measures aimed at solving these problems lead to a reduction in the number of sick days (savings in the employer's funds), increased productivity and employee loyalty.
• Strengthening socio-psychological factors. The use of decentralization tools in management can be a good impetus for development.
• Application of the results of scientific and technological progress. Ignoring modern technologies or excuses from their implementation due to the need for investment leads to a decrease in competitiveness and possible liquidation later. Fearing an unfavorable economic situation in the current period, companies often block their way to development in the future.
• The use of diversification, cooperation and other strategies that allow the use of existing resources in different projects.
• Attraction of investment capital and other mechanisms of third-party financing. Even privatization can open up ways to improve the efficiency of an enterprise.

All these factors lead not only to the growth of economic, but also managerial efficiency. In order to track the effectiveness of the work being done, it is necessary to outline the timing of the control and the indicators that will be checked.

Separately, we will dwell on the factor of improving the health of employees - for the reason that few employers have so far paid due attention to this. Meanwhile, taking care of the team directly affects the company's profits. For example, according to a study conducted as part of the HR Lab. – Laboratory of HR Innovations”, a smoking employee spends 330 working (!) hours per year on smoke breaks. If his salary is 50,000 rubles a month, then it turns out that in a year the company loses up to 100,000 rubles in wages, plus about 40,000 rubles in taxes and social contributions; plus the cost of sick leave, which smokers, according to statistics, take more often. And if the employee's salary is higher, then the costs are even higher. And if there are dozens, hundreds of such employees in the company?

In order to eliminate this extra cost item and increase the efficiency of smoking workers, companies can be advised. (At the link you will find a calculator with which you can calculate how much your company will save if employees stop smoking.)

Where to start?

To understand what work needs to be done to improve production efficiency, a thorough analysis should be carried out. The head of the company must have a rationale for future management decisions, therefore, it is required:

• collect statistics for previous years on product output, its sales, the number of employees in the state, wage fund, profitability, etc.;
• find out industry averages or competitors' performance;
• to compare the economic performance of the enterprise and other market participants;
• depending on which indicator is more behind, analyze the factors that led to such a result;
• identify responsible persons for the development of activities that should change the situation, and the time frame for achieving new indicators.

It is possible that management will have to make many decisions about itself. For example, to transform the functions and, the distribution of responsibilities, the scope of delegated powers, the methods of working with personnel and the transfer of information within the company.

What can hinder efficiency gains?

Even if the management sees the point in the changes that should lead to an increase in the efficiency of the company, the results may not be. Oddly enough, the problems lie in the psychological perception of managerial changes, as well as in their legal support.

For example, the introduction of new technologies and the installation of equipment almost always results in a reduction in staff. Naturally, the employees of the enterprise do not want to be left without work. Their task is to delay such changes as much as possible. They can also resort to economic arguments, saying that the reinstallation of equipment for some time will require the cessation of work.

From the point of view of legislation, the process of dismissal of employees is strictly regulated. If procedures are violated, the enterprise is doomed to incur additional costs, which reduces economic performance.

In order to overcome all these resistances, it is necessary to think over a system for notifying employees about changes, demonstrating the positive aspects of implementing changes.

Additional difficulties may be related to:

• with a lack of funding or the inability to access investment sources;
• with the lack of competencies among the employees of the enterprise, which does not allow the implementation of the plans;
• with the lack of a strategic planning system in the organization and analytics for previous years of work.

To achieve economic efficiency, systematic and large-scale work will be required. We cannot exclude the need to involve third-party specialists who can save time on implementing changes.

In general, with a competent approach and the use of reasonable measures, it is possible to increase the efficiency of each enterprise, regardless of the situation and at what stage of its development it is.

Every leader wants his subordinates to work effectively. To improve the quality and efficiency of work, a lot of methods are used, from motivation to an individual approach to the employee. Often, to improve performance, there is no need to look for a needle in a haystack. It is enough to pay attention to a few points. Yuri Smagin, the creator of the Shopokop service, shares his secrets to improving the work of staff.

Improvement of working conditions

Create comfortable working conditions: organize comfortable workplaces, a pleasant environment. For example, in a companyGoogle is getting creative with office design. The concept of the new office in Moscow is based on the cultural heritage of our country. On its territory you can find a meeting room, created based on the work "The Twelve Chairs", or a play area in the form of a hut.

Psychological comfort is also important. The absence of conflicts and intrigues allows employees to focus exclusively on work, without being distracted by strife and bad mood. A well-knit team is an emotionally stable team. Carefully monitor the moods inside it, apply the methods of assessing the mood in relation to colleagues and management. Conduct trainings and corporate events aimed at uniting employees, organize interest groups.

It is important to remember about the individual approach to employees. Some people may prefer a flexible schedule. If your employees are creative and dynamic people, and the nature of work does not depend on the time of day, try to create working conditions that are acceptable to everyone.

Motivation

Motivate your employees financially. Create a bonus system by dividing wages into fixed and bonus parts. Hoping for greater incomes, employees will perform their tasks better. Set achievable conditions and increase bonuses.

Arrange competition among employees. This will boost their performance.

For example, a companyFreshBooks introduced virtual badges for employees, which were issued not only for solving important tasks, but also for such merits as: arriving at work early (“early bird”), creating an article for a corporate blog (“Hemingway”). At the end of the month, the results were summed up, and the winners received prizes.

Validate significance. If an employee has lost interest in work, find out why. Remind him that the tasks assigned to him are an integral part of the overall result. Show him how important he is to the company as a whole.

Encourage development. Moving forward is a common desire for most of us. When work only helps personal growth, this is a good thing for both the company and the employee. Create a professional library and let you read books. Release employees to specialized seminars, trainings and conferences. Arrange events within the company where employees will share knowledge and experience.

Staff development

One of the serious problems that entrepreneurs regularly face is the lack of qualified employees. There are two ways to get out of this situation: buy employees from competitors or educate and train them yourself. Training and "nurturing" employees will create professionals who are loyal to the company. Upgrade the skills of your employees. New knowledge will help generate new ideas and keep up with progress. One of the methods is the system of continuous education.

For example, in a companySPLAT conducts more and more trainings every year, aimed not only at skills that are useful for work, but also focused on personal growth of employees.

Work on mistakes

Work on the bugs at meetings and planning meetings. This will help teach employees how to solve problems that arise in the course of work, analyze their actions, evaluate the consequences and eliminate errors in time. In addition, the most common mistakes can be introduced into the content of internal trainings, thereby predicting their repetition by different employees.

Control over the work of employees

Trust but verify. Control the work of employees. Evaluate the completeness of the work performed, and you will be able to identify in the early stages a decrease in motivation among the team. This is especially important when employees directly interact with customers, providing them with services or selling goods.

Checking the quality of work of employees can be carried out by the company, but such checks are not always objective. In recent years, it has become popular to evaluate the work of personnel using the “mystery shopper” method. Hired people come to buy a product or service according to a pre-prepared scenario, after which they provide a report on the quality of the service. The method allows you to determine how much the company's employees comply with corporate service standards, what needs to be trained for staff, and identify weaknesses in the methodology for attracting customers.

Secret checks are ordered from marketing agencies or they hire mystery shoppers on their own. Another possibility is to use web-based mystery shopping technologies. Full automation of the mystery shopper method makes the system simpler and more transparent. You can contact performers directly by selecting them based on their rating. This eliminates the intermediary, which leads to more efficient interaction.

Summing up

Increasing employee performance is not an easy task, but it can be done. Paying attention to motivation, employee development and control, you can take your business to the next level, increase profits and rally your dream team.

More and more companies are puzzled by the question of how to get more from the staff and at the same time do nothing, but if they do, then just a little bit.

The crisis did its job, but the staff of the companies did not draw the conclusions that the companies dream of, i.e. the staff is still willing to look for a better place, and many actually find it.

Some companies are ready to conduct explanatory campaigns, never tired of explaining what they cannot do for the staff now, and the staff should wait a little and be grateful that they had the opportunity to survive the crisis in the company. But these arguments in most cases do not find understanding, and according to various estimates and surveys, from 60 to 80% of the staff are ready to change the company.

Other companies have set out to find that proverbial staff button that they can push and get even more of the results the company needs without any additional effort on the part of the company. The 21st century is on the street, and companies continue to believe in this fairy tale.

So let's talk about how to improve the efficiency of staff. And before we get started, let's look at a few myths that companies use that only lead to disappointment in the end.

The first myth is that you can get something from the staff without doing anything in return. Probably, it is possible if your business is a fence and a barrier or something similar, and then the question is how long the staff is ready to work without money, in disgusting conditions, and what the result will be. Fortunately, there are not so many people who are ready to work for food, so the field of activity for such companies is very narrow. For companies that say they have a great future, following this myth is very expensive - in the form of a huge turnover, constantly unoccupied positions, including key ones, a disgusting image as an employer, a bunch of jokes and anecdotes about the company on forums in and in social networks.

The second myth is that the staff dreams of working in large companies with a name, so the size and name of the company is already enough. In fact, it is not enough for an employee to say goodbye to illusions for 3-6 months. And if a well-known name and size are not supported by at least the size of wages exceeding the average value in the market, then the company will lose an employee, albeit not today, but tomorrow for sure.

The third myth is that an employee “should” do something for the company. Realities destroy this myth very quickly. And even if the company behaves this way towards employees and inspires them with this idea that they should be grateful for being found in the garbage dump, shod, clothed, etc., then the employees react to this in absolutely the wrong way as the company would like. And if there is nothing to “tolerate” the company for, then the employee very quickly goes in search of a better life and a better company.

The fourth myth is that caring for staff can be imitated. It is possible, but for a very short time. In a maximum of a year, everything will become clear to the employee, speaking and doing it is as far away as the poles of the earth. It is possible to mislead not only the staff and the market, but it will not be possible to keep anyone in this delusion for a long time. The Internet, social networks, forums, and the company’s employees themselves will very quickly show that the king is naked ... If there is nothing more to “tolerate” the company, then in six months, a year, migratory moods will begin in it.

I think these are the main myths that companies use, and some have elevated these myths to the status of policy and follow it stubbornly, so stubbornly that they drive companies to collapse or to the point where the patient is rather dead. It is clear that none of these myths can lead to results, and there is no talk of any staff efficiency in such companies.

The first conclusion that follows from this is that increasing the efficiency of personnel is possible only with certain efforts on the part of the company. It's like two oars on a boat, try to row with only one oar, what happens ... If even simpler, then our whole life is subject to the law "as you sow, so shall you reap", who said that HR is the only area where this law does not apply. You are funny and so am I.

The second conclusion is that an employee is the same person with all his peculiarities, weaknesses, views, who is guided by the principle selfishness and by and large, he doesn’t care what period the company lives, what it is called, how much it did for him yesterday and how much it promises to do tomorrow. If it is not comfortable or profitable for him to work, then he will not work in it. I must disappoint you, but it seems to me that none of your employees wake up in the morning with the thought of doing such a useful thing for the company. This is not your problem and not my malicious intent, it's just the way life works. He can "tolerate" her for a while, pursuing his own interests, but not the interests of the company. And as you understand the words "endure" and efficiency are in no way connected with each other. Therefore, even where the company has no turnover, but everyone “tolerates” the company, based on one reason or another, it is also not necessary to talk about the effectiveness of the staff - this is just an illusion. Look at many "successful" and "rich" companies, what they have, and they have a swamp - expensive, beautiful, but quiet and useless.

From this follows the third and probably the main conclusion - to increase the efficiency of the staff, mutually beneficial actions are needed for both the company and the employee, but the first move is on the side of the company. And then sometimes the question of who should do more - the company for the employee or the employee for the company turns into a solution to the eternal question - who appeared before the chicken or the egg.

Why am I sure that the first move is for the company? Because the company is more interested in the result, and besides, the formation of the company is still long-term (I really want to believe that we will have companies that will live for hundreds of years). But the company should only do what it can afford. There should be no illusions, business is business, there is no need to turn it into charity, there is no need to give away what has not been earned. HR should be the guardian of the company's finances. The company should not have a question let's pay more at any cost. The question should sound differently - let's earn more to afford more, this idea can be accepted by the company's staff, because this idea is honest.

And one more thing that I think is worth mentioning is that by staff efficiency we mean the result that is necessary for the company, and here both words are the main result and necessary.

So what can a company do to improve staff efficiency? Motivate, create conditions for life while working, respect. Seems complicated? Let's take a closer look, I'm sure everything is much simpler.

So. Motivate. I deliberately use this term because I am talking about motivation as a system. I do not like the approach in which motivation is divided into tangible and intangible and trying to achieve results from each element separately.

What do I mean by motivation. It is not better or more to pay, but to pay as close as possible to the results of the company, if there are no results, then ... But if there are results, then the staff should be rewarded for them. The link between pay and results must be communicated to and furthermore explained to the staff. The second question, if you are paying significantly below the market, try to understand the problem, maybe there are just too many of you. The secret known to millions is that the staffing table of almost any company includes 10-15% of excess personnel, which, like an unbearable burden, pulls the company to the bottom or does not allow it to develop. There is no need to go far in a crisis, many companies have reduced up to half of their personnel, the question is not how they survived, but the question is that after the crisis they did not return all this personnel back, even where the volumes returned to pre-crisis levels or even got bigger. Therefore, I am sure that your company also has a reserve, but you do not need to turn it into an end in itself and bring it to the point of absurdity.

If you can’t pay everyone well yet, then single out those who are as close as possible to obtaining this very desired result and those who are most successful in obtaining these results, motivate only them so far. Work with the bonus part, tie its size to the results of the company. There will be a corresponding result, there will be an appropriate size of the bonus. In my opinion, everything is fair and understandable. Again, don't give away what you don't earn.

Think also about the motivation of key personnel, the so-called. “golden asset”, but at the same time, the main rule is usefulness for the company and for its result, and in no case personal devotion to someone or some kind of merit that is not formulated at all (be prepared to explain this and, in which case, defend your decision).

Another important point of the so-called. Social package. The crisis has slightly tempered the appetites of the staff, but the topic is still important, companies are about to start the "race" of social packages again, as an effective means in the struggle for employees. But two important points, if you can’t afford it yet, don’t start, you can only allow it for key personnel - do it, just clearly define the criteria for who belongs to key personnel and why, and when (under what conditions or results) the rest of the personnel will also be able to connect to this. Do not call a social package what you provide an employee to perform his functions (office, car, laptop, mobile phone, etc.). This is the provision of the necessary working conditions, but nothing more. And do not demand from employees a different understanding of this, it will not happen.

Now about another non-material motivation, if you like. First of all, the employee must feel like a person. Work is not paid slavery, it can be selling your time for money, but nothing more. Therefore, the task of the company is to create conditions for this process to be mutually beneficial for both parties. Therefore the company must:

1. Clearly define the range of tasks and responsibilities of the employee in this position; clearly define the results that the company expects from this position; clearly communicate the criteria by which these results will be evaluated.

2. Provide the employee with the right to receive "feedback" from the company on the results achieved and expectations, based on the results of assessments, on the issue of career opportunities and prospects, etc. questions.

3. Provide the employee with the right to actively participate in the life of the company, ask for his opinion on the problems facing the company, on improving the organization and working conditions.

4. Inform employees about the life of the company (especially if it is a multi-branch structure), about the situation in the company, about the company's plans.

5. Thank employees for success, for suggestions.

Create conditions for life while working. I didn't make a reservation specifically for life at work. Because the part of life spent at work is very significant and work should be comfortable. To whom such a thought is disgusting and blasphemous, they may not read further. But I want to talk here not only about working conditions, although more and more companies are paying enough attention to this issue. Some companies build their offices for people and for people so that they can work comfortably. These companies already understand the connection between comfort and results.

I want you to think about these things when you say conditions for life at work:

1. Provide an area where employees can socialize in an informal setting over a cup of tea or coffee. It's no secret that some of the employees come not only to work, but also to communicate, some abuse, but such is life. By organizing such a zone outside the workspace, the company kills several birds with one stone. Realizes the need of some employees to communicate without disrupting the workflow, and besides, it was in such an informal atmosphere that many interesting ideas were born. Therefore, some companies place a whiteboard in such an area.

2. I don't understand the companies' ban on posting photographs and other items, souvenirs that are dear to their hearts on the desktops of employees. If you can still somehow agree with souvenirs, then I categorically disagree with photographs of the family. For many employees, providing for their family is one of the main reasons, and sometimes the only one, for which they are willing to “endure” work. The company may require that personal life remain outside the office, but, firstly, the company will not be able to control this, and secondly, the employee, having crossed the threshold of the office, has not ceased to be a husband or wife; mother or father. It is useless to fight with the place of the family in the life of an employee. On the contrary, the company should know how the employee lives, share the successes of his family members, but also support him in difficult times. Relatives for an employee are very important. I think modern companies have already understood this, so you read more and more in the press about how a company allowed children to work, some companies allow pets. The company needs a result and they are ready to make some indulgences and show flexibility for the sake of this result.

3. Do not turn the life of employees into a pioneer camp, with large quantity absurd, useless, rituals. If you think that an employee should endure this, then I already wrote about it here. All rituals should be useful, thoughtful and not excessive. You yourself want results, so do not distract employees over trifles.

4. Demand results, but do not control what the employee is doing during the working day. There is no result, try to achieve it or say goodbye. Spend this time better on a clearer statement of tasks. If you don't trust your employees, what's the point of you all working together. If you were controlled in childhood or when you started working, then it's time to understand that it is useless and let this vicious circle end on you.

5. Take care of the working time of employees, from overtime, from stupid sitting hours, from "eternal" force majeure; from breaks and other things that load only the power grid and increase the cost of the Internet and telephone. Once again, demand a result, not hours or reports on how this result is planned to be achieved. Neither watches nor reports are of any use to the company. If you think that only you know how it is better for an employee to spend the time between the end of the working day and the beginning of the next, then I will disappoint you, your employees know this much better.

6. Do not abuse fines, punishments. If you think that there is no other way, think, it seems to me that the result can be achieved in another positive way. If you need to be afraid of the company, then think about why you should be afraid, maybe you need to be respected and valued by the company, otherwise it’s completely different.

Last but not least, respect your employees and be honest with them. What is it about everything - how honest you are with them, how much you respect and value their work, how much you value their time and health. In doing so, your goal is to build a company that employees will cherish. Do you want to build a long-term relationship, or would you just hold out until tomorrow. What are your goals, what kind of staff do you attract, there are no miracles here. But if a company is honest with its employees, then the employees are honest in return. And honesty in relationships is already a guarantee of obtaining the results necessary for the company.

As you can see, a company can do a lot for the result, and by doing this, the company has the right to demand results from the employee, but in fact the employee himself will give the result, since in such conditions it cannot be otherwise. And you don’t need to look for the button, but if you really want to, then look for it at home.

• Motivation, Incentives, Remuneration, KPI, Benefits and Compensation