Keep your productivity on track by avoiding these common mismanagement issues

Developing and maintaining effective leadership skills isn’t easy, especially in a time of great uncertainty and widespread fear. Unfortunately, poor management practices have long-lasting effects that can cripple an organization and bring productivity to a crawl. In a time when many workers feel disengaged from their jobs, it has never been more important to take a step back and figure out what might be going wrong and why.

1. Conducting too many meetings

Business meetings have acquired a reputation for soul-destroying boredom and irrelevance. However, meetings are, of course, necessary. The fact that so many end up being a waste of time is often due to poor management and planning. This is why every meeting needs to establish a clear agenda, limit the time allocated to them, and invite only those who actually need to be there.

2. Promoting a sedentary lifestyle

In the past, office work was almost universally associated with hours spent at a workstation in a cubicle. Unfortunately, some companies still operate based on that thinking. The truth is that too much time spent in front of a desk can lead to a range of health issues like chronic back and wrist strain. Managers must lead by example by promoting frequent breaks and encouraging a more diverse range of working conditions, such as standing desks and occasional workouts.

3. Micromanaging your employees

It’s never easy to watch someone make mistakes, especially if you know how to avoid them. Keeping silent when someone slips up is even harder, but that shouldn’t be taken as a reason to micromanage them.

Micromanagement can quickly create a toxic and oppressive working environment, and it doesn’t give people a real opportunity to learn from their mistakes. While some operations admittedly do need to be monitored and managed closely, it’s important to treat it as a last resort for use only when it’s an absolute necessity.

4. Lacking clear goals and expectations

One of the most common reasons for employees feeling disengaged at work is that they don’t feel like they’re making a difference. They lack motivation because they feel there’s nothing to motivate them, which, in turn, stifles morale and productivity. These issues usually start at the management level, where many problems with coordination and collaboration arise. Managers should always make an effort to recognize and reward their employees and set the clear goals and expectations needed to create a culture of success and innovation.

5. Decreased emphasis on teamwork

Very few job roles are purely solitary activities, and almost every successful business is the product of a diverse range of skills coming together under a team-driven environment. But a lack of clear communication and collaboration can quickly stifle productivity and reduce morale in any office. Many companies strive to avoid these issues by creating engaging team-building events where activities are built around the challenges their teams currently face. Managers must always revisit the purpose of a project and acknowledge the various roles of their teams.

6. Over-reliance on unsuitable technology

By now, every business leader knows that modern technology is critical to their operations. What many don’t realize is that the adoption of new technologies can just as often, if not more so, leave the business in a worse position than it was before. Without the proper alignment between technology and business goals, managers end up losing oversight and control while employees spend more time trying to find their way around new systems instead of doing their jobs. That’s why technology should always be chosen and managed with the right combination of people and process.

HERO Managed Services provides expert guidance and unlimited IT support to help you keep productivity to a maximum during these uncertain times. Call today to schedule a consultation.