Helping Employees Succeed
Iconic businessman Lee Iacocca once said, “Start with good people, lay out the rules, communicate with your employees, motivate them, and reward them. If you do all those things effectively, you can’t miss.” This sound advice can be applied to any company, no matter how small or large, and no matter what industry the business is in. A company is only as good as the employees who work there, and making sure that your employees are doing their best is crucial to the success of your business.
Internet Workplace Distractions
Unfortunately, modern technology has created a challenging stumbling block for employers – the Internet. While there’s no doubt that the World Wide Web has provided countless benefits to companies throughout the world, it has also presented a daily temptation to workers. Even the hardest-working employee can be tempted to spend time doing personal tasks on the Internet during work hours. Some studies suggest that workers spend 25% of their time surfing the Internet rather than being engaged in productive activity during business hours.
This can have a tremendously negative impact on a company, which is why so many employers have chosen Internet-blocking software to prevent their workers from visiting certain sites. While there’s no doubt that this type of software can reduce Internet surfing to a certain extent, modern technology has created yet another challenge for employers – the smartphone. The unfortunate fact is that even if you try blocking websites with Internet-blocking software, your employees will still have unlimited access through their own devices.
Boosting Employee Productivity
The only real answer to addressing the issue of a lack of employee productivity goes back to what Lee Iacocca advised: motivate and reward your employees for a job well done. The first step is to find an effective means of measuring how much time each individual spends performing productive tasks each day. Once you’re armed with that information, you can establish minimum productivity standards that each employee must meet. The next step involves finding what best motivates your employees to do a better job, which could be anything from an employee of the month award to a more flexible work schedule. Finally, it’s important to follow through by rewarding employees for a job well done and recognizing their accomplishments.
Blocking websites doesn’t resolve the problem because the real issue isn’t the Internet – it’s a lack of motivation. Once you effectively motivate your employees to work harder, they won’t be distracted by the Internet or anything else. If you want to set your company on the road to success, you would be well advised to follow the advice of Lee Iacocca. Remember — by helping your employees succeed, you’re helping your company succeed as well.