Work and Life: Maximize productivity

60% : the average time an employee spends at work working (creating value)

How to maximize that time?

Improve project management

- Activities planing and scheduling
Do your project managers plan 80% of an employee workday on a project? Your project will be late.

- Clear tasks
Your project managers should minimize the time the team members look for information.

- Clear and available resources
Provide team members with detailed action plan when they look for resources. i.e. after 20 min of unsuccessful resource finding - ask!; senior programmer always available; get books and licensed software, etc.

Improve your policies

- Clear job descriptions and management policies. Define the gray zones.
The team members and managers should clearly know what parts of their job fall under their control.

- Personal development plan
Reinforce the gray zone definition with a personal development plan. The managers should be aware of this plan. Don't keep it secret.

- No overtime (unless you are ready for what follows)
Overtime means that employees are generous with you.
They are making you a favor!!
You should be able to repay them at least as generously.

Professional athletes, musicians, actors, they all know it. Overtime destroys your capacity to perform. Unless they are in the finals they will avoid it as much as possible.

If your company uses overtime to fix the management problems you lose your performance and your employees. Don't dumb your team down with overtime.

- Need for Recovery
Always cover your team's overexposure to work with recovery techniques.

- Love
Care about your employees and they will care about you.

Remember, when a new employee comes on board she's in love with your company.
The only reason an employee leaves you is if she fells out of love with your company. Period.

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Octavian Mihai