Teach employees to use time efficiently with the help of time tracker

Monitoring the work of employees is a frequent headache of a manager. It is even more important when the manager sees that employees try hard but cannot correctly allocate tasks and plan their work schedule.
The correct usage of the time tracker will Improve efficiency and increase productivity of every team member, will help to ration routine operations and time-management in the office.

By monitoring employees’ performance the manager can understand where the problem lies when there are no apparent reasons for the ineffectiveness of the team. Imagine a situation when each member of the department is a responsible, professional, and competent person. Each member of the team is motivated. However, the work goes badly. In practice, the problem often lies in the lack of time management skills: low results are caused by absence of a work plan, clear organization structure, frequent distractions. By using a time tracker, the manager can affect the outcome by just pointing out the errors of subordinates and offering them alternative.

Time management gurus have long since developed a number of fundamental principles, which are easy to implement:
1. Prioritization: separate the tasks into urgent and not urgent.
2. Perform critical tasks on time, so they do not become urgent tomorrow.
3. Fragment tasks into small pieces, set a clear deadline for each subtask to makes it easier to complete.
4. Complete minor tasks immediately, do not postpone it.
5. Keep 30% of the time in reserve to perform urgent tasks without changing the current plan.
6. Write down your thoughts so as not to “clog” your head.
7. Allocate time for strategic planning and analysis of results.

Once subordinates learn to plan working hours, the need for strict control of staff from management disappears. Of course, it is not worth to stop using a time tracker completely, because the implementation of time management system can be difficult:

1. Еmployees’ character. There are employees who, because of individual characteristics, are not able to organize their time even with good intentions. A manager may have no issues with competencies of such an employee. Naturally, it is hard to part with valuable employee. What should the manager do? Assign a supervisor to manage the work of the employee.
2. Problems of misunderstanding. The problem of training adults is that for established professionals it is difficult to admit that they don’t understand something. Even more so when colleagues learn everything on the fly. The solution is to offer additional training and continue to monitor performance of employees, to identify those who did not understand the basic rules of time management.
3. Denial of change. Innovations in the work are rarely met with full and widespread support of the staff. Often there are cases of non-acceptance and non-compliance with the requirements of the management. Do not rush to assign penalties and punishments. To begin, make use of a time tracker and conduct individual conversations with “saboteurs”.

If a manager wants to increase the efficiency of employees, the introduction of the time tracker in the office is the first step on the road to success. Sometimes causes of inefficiency lay in the lack of control of employees, the absence of a system of rewards and punishments. Combining elements of time management with discreet supervision of staff will lead to the expected effect in the first months of work!