Data shows employee disengagement could cost medium-sized S&P businesses between $228 and $355 million annually in wasted productivity. (McKinsey study linked at the bottom of the article.) Hence, let’s dive into some practical and proven methods business leaders can use to improve productivity.

In this article, you will:

• Learn the critical metrics to assess and boost business productivity;

• Discover how digitization led to the highest productivity in four business sectors in the US between 1989 and 2019;

• Understand how a simple productivity tracker can impact many business processes and increase productivity;

• Gain insights into unconventional productivity hacks, from flat structures to gamification.

What is business productivity?

Productivity is the measure of a business’s output relative to the input.

Macroeconomics explains that business productivity measures how efficiently a company converts inputs, such as capital and labor, into outputs, like products or services. The equation is the value of services and products produced divided by the amount of labor and capital used in its production.

Therefore, the main metrics companies measure when assessing business productivity are capital productivity and labor productivity. Capital productivity measures physical capital like raw materials, energy costs, office equipment, software, and hardware tools, while labor productivity measures labor costs, work hours, and others.

Generally, productive companies are able to generate more value with less waste, and it is not just about doing things quickly but doing the right things – the things that actually move the needle for their business.

Concluding, business productivity refers to the efficiency and effectiveness of a company’s operations. It’s about maximizing output while minimizing input and doing so in a way that aligns with the organization’s strategic goals.

Key metrics to measure productivity

In order to maximize productivity, there are a few key metrics you need to assess to ensure that you’re measuring the real impact on your bottom line.

Here are some examples:

• Labor productivity: This is the classic productivity metric, measuring the output per hour of work. It can be simply calculated with time-tracking apps.

• Project completion rates: For project-based work, tracking the percentage of projects completed on time and on budget is an important productivity indicator. It helps identify bottlenecks and areas where more resources are needed.

• Total factor productivity (TFP): TFP takes into account not just labor but also capital investments like equipment and technology. It’s a more comprehensive measure of how efficiently a company is using all of its resources.

• Gross value added (GVA): GVA measures the total value of goods and services produced by a company minus the cost of intermediate inputs. It’s a useful metric for assessing the overall productivity and economic contribution of a business.

• Revenue per employee: This metric assesses the total revenue generated divided by the number of employees. It’s a good way to measure the overall productivity and profitability of your workforce.

• Employee satisfaction and engagement: While harder to quantify, employee satisfaction and engagement are critical drivers of productivity. Metrics like employee Net Promoter Score (eNPS) and absenteeism rates can give you a sense of how motivated and committed your team is.

• Capacity utilization: This metric measures the percentage of total available work hours that are actually being used productively so you can understand if your staff is underutilized or overutilized.

By regularly tracking these metrics, you can get a data-driven picture of your team’s productivity and make informed decisions about where to focus your productivity improvements.

The key to improving productivity is to not just measure productivity but to use those measurements to drive continuous improvement.

Why does business productivity matter?

Before we jump into the nitty-gritty of productivity strategies, it’s important to take a step back and address the question of why business productivity even matters and what the real impact on your bottom line is.

The benefits of a highly productive business are nothing short of game-changing. Here are some benefits:

• Increased profitability: When your team is firing on all cylinders, you can get more done in less time, which translates to lower costs and higher profits. In other words, you’re reaching economies of scale. It’s a simple equation, but by increasing productivity, your business can be better equipped to generate higher profits and charge lower prices with the same resources invested.

• Competitive advantage: One of the fastest and best ways to stay ahead of the curve and outpace your competitors is to adapt and innovate quickly. Once you improve productivity, you’re on the way to coming out on top quicker than your competition.

• High agility and responsiveness: Productive businesses are often better at communicating and streamlining their decision-making processes. Hence, this enables business leaders and teams to react quickly to market changes, customer needs, or internal challenges.

• Enhanced innovation capacity: Efficient operations will free up your time and resources that can be directed toward R&D and innovation. This way, you’re driving a continuous improvement of products and services while keeping your business at the forefront of your industry.

• Improved employee engagement: When productivity increases through efficient processes and better tools, employees often feel less stressed and more engaged. This boosts morale and individual productivity, which leads to higher retention rates, reduced absenteeism, and a stronger company culture.

Top strategies to boost productivity

1. Capitalize on digitization and automation

A McKinsey study on productivity reveals that they identified a 70% correlation between productivity growth and digital adoption between 1989 and 2019 among companies from the US.

The information sectors, including software, telecommunications, and internet publishing, have had the highest productivity increase, with an average of 5,5% growth since 2005.

On the other side of the spectrum, service-led sectors such as accommodation and food services or healthcare saw the lowest productivity growth and are among the least productive industries.

Source: Rekindling US productivity for a new era, McKinsey.

The conclusion is simple: Start adding technology layers to all your processes, streamline operations, and automate all your time wasters.

Implementing only one tool into our tech stack can cover many business needs. For example, an AI time-tracker can do the following for you:

• Generate reports automatically on how time is spent on tasks so you can quickly identify operational blockers and stay on top of employee productivity;

• Manage resource allocation better, based on real-time progress on projects;

• Capture billable hours in case you need to bill accurately to clients or identify profitability blockers;

• Manage all types of time off without an additional leave tracker;

• Generate payroll timesheets automatically;

• Understand trends in team and personal productivity trends,

• Stay on top of your team’s mental health by tracking their overtime hours;

One tool only can 10x your business productivity

Record and report all time-related and productivity matters without constantly switching between tools with Timeular, the most effortless and smart time-tracking app.

Try Timeular 30 days for free

In essence, such a tool determines the future of your internal process, identifies what daily tasks consume most work hours, understands work habits, recognizes patterns, and gains a deeper understanding of where the time goes.

• Note that, when tracking employees’s time, it’s best to choose an anti-surveillance and privacy-first tool like Timeular, as there are considerable downsides to monitoring employees.

2. Adjust your business strategy to match your digital transformation

McKinsey research found that companies typically realize only 25% to 30% of the expected value from digitalization. The shortfall, according to their research, lies in the lack of updating their business strategy or model to augment the digital transformation.

The same research found that frontier firms that increase productivity due to digitization set new business goals enabled by technology. Simply said, they reconfigure their businesses in order to digitize operations that can capture the benefits of technology.

Therefore, once you digitize processes in your own business, to have guaranteed increased productivity, you need to adjust your business strategies.

If pivoting to a business model or strategy sounds like an extensive complex project, here are simple and small steps to start with in boosting productivity:

• Begin by identifying one or two key areas where technology can significantly impact productivity in the workplace. For example, if you own a retail business, you could start by implementing an inventory management system to streamline your stock control and ordering processes.

• Implement digital collaboration platforms to improve communication and productivity among team members. If you own a small marketing agency, you could adopt AI-powered project management tools to streamline workflows and ensure deadlines are met.

3. Build a future-proof workforce

Leaders win the talent war once they recognize the value of their employees, invest in their professional development, and prioritize their job growth. The options available are to either disproportionately secure and invest in-house in skilled talent to leverage technology or attract top talent. This process can take many forms:

• Providing mentorship opportunities
• Investing in online learning platforms
• Encouraging cross-functional training
• Enrolling them in boot camps

The list can continue, but the main traits of a future-proof workforce are adaptability, innovation, and equipping employees to leverage new technologies for increased productivity.

4. Foster a time-conscious culture

One of the biggest productivity killers is wasting time in meetings, with emails, or by working without a structure or time management strategies. So, here are some strategies that contribute to a better relationship with time and better productivity:

1. Implement a “No meeting day”: Designate one day per week where no internal meetings are allowed, giving employees uninterrupted time to focus on deep work and individual tasks.

2. Adopt a “20% time” policy: Allow your team to spend 20% of their work time on self-directed projects related to the company’s goals, fostering innovation and creativity and dedicating their time to what they feel matters and impacts the business most.

3. Implement timeboxing: Encourage employees to allocate fixed time periods for specific tasks, as this helps them increase focus and prevent overtime work or project delays.

4. Biorhythm-based scheduling: Allow employees to work during their most productive hours based on their individual circadian rhythms, which could mean different start times for different team members.

Did you know that even a simple method like Don’t Break the Chain, the productivity method that made Seinfeld a legend can have a big impact on your team’s productivity?

Your team spends 1,912 hours at work. How do you leverage their time?

Make sure their time is well spent by managing it with automatic, smart and secure time tracking apps.

Try Timeular 30 days for free

Unconventional ways of improving workplace productivity

Productivity is driven by many elements in a work environment. It can be a result of how employees feel in relation to failure, whether they delegate tasks or not, or their personal productivity techniques or lack thereof.

Nonetheless, there are unconventional and effortless ways to boost productivity without investing in expensive tech or changing your business strategy altogether. Here are some simple examples:

1. “Failure walls”: Create spaces where employees can share their failures and lessons learned so you can foster a culture of experimentation and continuous improvement.

2. Holacracy or flat organizational structures: Implement self-management systems that distribute authority and decision-making throughout the organization. Flat structures have a high potential of generating business growth and high productivity as they increase the agility of a business.

3. Adopt a results-only work environment (ROWE): Focus on outcomes rather than labor hours worked and other similar metrics, as in this way, you’re assessing metrics that have a direct impact on your organization, and you’re giving employees more autonomy over when and how they complete their tasks.

4. Foster co-creation with hackathons for internal processes: Organize regular events where cross-functional teams work intensively on solving internal challenges or improving company processes.

5. Use artificial intelligence for administrative tasks(and not only): Implement AI-powered tools to handle routine, repetitive tasks so you and your team free up time for more complex and creative work.

6. Use gamification: Incorporate game-like elements into work processes to increase engagement and motivation, such as point systems, leaderboards, or badges for completing tasks or reaching goals.

It’s high time you increased productivity

You’re now equipped with some of the most effective strategies to improve business productivity. Remember, you don’t have to implement all of these strategies at once. Start small, experiment with different techniques, and see what works best for your unique team and business.

The key is to stay consistent and committed to the process. Productivity isn’t a one-and-done thing – it’s an ongoing journey that requires constant iteration and improvement. You’ll slowly be able to take on bigger challenges, innovate more quickly, and ultimately, drive more success for your business.

FAQ

Source:

https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/people-and-organizational-performance/our-insights/some-employees-are-destroying-value-others-are-building-it-do-you-know-the-difference

The post Business Productivity Reinvented: Ways to Stay Ahead of your Competition appeared first on Timeular.

If you’re like me, you know how frustrating it can be to see your goals slip away because you lack consistency and motivation.

Well, there is a simple way to progress with your goals one day at a time without too much effort, namely the “Don’t Break the Chain” method.

Before getting cracking, here’s a sneak peek into what you’ll learn in this article:

• How Jerry Seinfeld implemented this method to become a comedy legend;

• How the “Don’t Break the Chain” technique taps into the psychology of habit formation;

• How to use this technique to achieve your goals, from learning a language to getting a promotion.

What is the “Don’t Break the Chain” method?

The Don’t Break the Chain method is a simple productivity technique or mental trick that helps you build habits consistently. It’s also known as the “Seinfeld Strategy” as it’s inspired by the comedian Jerry Seinfeld.

The story goes that when Seinfeld was an up-and-coming comedian, he committed to writing new jokes every single day. Why? He wanted to build the habit of writing jokes in his daily routine, getting better at it, and keeping himself accountable. Besides routinely writing a daily joke, here’s the break the chain explained in his process:

Seinfeld hung a big wall calendar on his wall and marked an X with his big red magic marker on each day he wrote a joke. His goal was simple: don’t break the chain of X’s.

So why should you use the Don’t Break the Chain method, too?

If Seinfeld made it, you can too, as the Don’t Break the Chain is a seamless and beautifully simple mental trick.

You should also use the Don’t break the chain because:

• You find physically marking your progress oh-so-satisfying;

• You want to make progress on that new course for your career pivot;

• You’re a visual person who always needs physical visual cues around you that prompt you to make progress with goals;

• You’re chasing a promotion and need to level up your skills, but you always get in the way of learning;

• You’re way too often a Duolingo dropout, and all you need is a simple technique to keep your mind engaged with your French brush-up;

Why is the Don’t Break the Chain method effective?

It taps into the psychology of habit formation

As simple as it is to implement, this productivity method is based on the psychological mechanics that determine habit formation. By tapping into the psychology of habits, you uncover the following mechanics: creating a cue, a routine, and a reward.

As Charles Duhigg explains in his book “The Power of Habit,” the cue (seeing the calendar) triggers the routine (performing the daily action), which then leads to the reward (marking an X and feeling a sense of accomplishment).

Over time, this loop becomes automatic, making the habit easier to maintain.

Reinforces the behavior through repetition

Repetition is pivotal for habit formation. Each repetition strengthens the neural pathways associated with the behavior, making it more automatic and effortless over time (James Clear, “Atomic Habits“). Don’t Break the Chain encourages daily repetition, helping to ingrain good habits into your routine.

Focuses on the process, not the outcome

We’re often caught up by the pressure and magnitude of an objective, but in the “Don’t Break the Chain,” your only job is to put in some effort each day. Hence, you just have to show up to build a habit and see some signs of self-improvement rather than fixating on the end result.

As Clear explains in “Atomic Habits,” focusing on the process helps you develop a growth mindset and find intrinsic motivation in the work itself, rather than relying solely on external rewards or outcomes. By focusing on the process, not the results, you’re creating a long-lasting habit that becomes automatic over time.

The technique also uses positive reinforcement to encourage desired behavior, making it a powerful tool for building positive habits.

Builds momentum through small wins

Each X on your calendar represents a small win, a daily accomplishment that builds momentum and reinforces your commitment to the habit. The X on that day triggers your brain’s reward system, as these small victories trigger a release of dopamine, a neurotransmitter associated with pleasure and motivation.

This way, you’re empowered to keep going and strengthen the habit loop.

It creates a sense of accountability

Publicly committing to a goal, even if it’s in front of your partner, by displaying the calendar on the wall in your house or at the office, creates a sense of accountability that helps you stay on track.

External accountability, such as sharing your goals with others, can be a powerful motivator for habit formation and accountability, an idea that Gretchen Rubin expanded on in her book “Better Than Before.”

How to implement the Don’t Break the Chain method

To implement the Don’t Break the Chain technique, you must set a specific goal and track your progress on a calendar.

You can use a physical calendar or a digital tool, such as a time tracker or habit app. The key is to create a visual representation of your progress, which will help you stay motivated and engaged.

Choose your goal or habit

Decide on a specific goal or habit you want to work on consistently. It would be great if you chose a strategy by setting realistic and specific goals.

The caveat with the Don’t Break the Chain technique is that you should choose a goal that is meaningful enough to make a difference but simple enough to get it done. This could be writing, exercising, learning a new skill, picking up a new daily habit, or giving up on bad habits.

It’s recommended to choose an activity that requires regular practice over a few weeks.

Struggling to set your goals? I’ve written a comprehensive article on How To Set Work Goals For Career Growth [With 10 Examples], and you can also check out some of the following questions:

Still struggling to set a realistic goal, or just think of some examples? I got you. Check my examples below:

Set a daily minimum

Determine the minimum amount of time or effort you need or want to invest each day to make meaningful progress. Start small and make your own rules, so it’s easy to maintain your streak, even on busy or challenging days.

For the goal examples above, here are some specific daily goals you could set:

Get a calendar

Use a physical calendar, a digital app, or a spreadsheet to track your progress. Make sure it’s easily accessible and visible to keep you motivated and accountable.

If you plan to respect the Don’t Break the Chain technique entirely, you should get a physical calendar. However, if you don’t have enough space due to physical constraints, a digital calendar like Google Calendar works, too.

Create a chain of consistent behavior

Complete your daily minimum, and mark an X or any other symbol on your calendar. As you continue dedicating even a few hours, you’ll see a chain of X’s forming, representing your consistent effort over time.

Don’t break the chain

Your primary goal is to avoid breaking the chain of X’s. If you miss a day, don’t get discouraged – start the next day again and focus on building a new streak.

Note: Focus on the process, not the results, and use positive reinforcement to encourage yourself to continue.

A real-life example of the Don’t Break the Chain technique

There couldn’t be a better example of this technique in practice than the author and entrepreneur James Clear, who wrote the bestselling book about habits, “Atomic Habits.“

As Clear writes on his blog, “For the last eight months, I’ve written a new article every Monday and Thursday without missing a beat. Simply setting a schedule has helped me keep that pace, and I plan to keep it as we move forward.”.

At the same time, it seems that Clear used the “Don’t Break the Chain” method to establish another daily writing habit:

But I also want to graduate my writing habits to the next level and start writing 1,000 words each day. Some of those words will turn into books and courses, and some of will continue to be my Monday and Thursday posts. My “1,000–words–per–day” chain is currently at 4. (I made it to 5 last week before breaking it for a day.) James Clear

Based on his own words, we can assume that he’s been testing and has been successful at the “Don’t Break the Chain” method. All that while he was writing about habits in his book “Atomic Habits” while growing his blog audience to over 500,000 subscribers.

Common questions and concerns

Here’s how you can use automatic time-tracking to support your “Don’t Break the Chain” practice:

1. Create dedicated activities: Set up specific activities in Timeular that are specific to your daily goals or habits. For example, you might have activities like “Exercise,” “Meditation,” “Language learning,” or “Reading.”

2. Track your time: When working on one of your habit activities, start the timer in Timeular. This will help you keep track of how much time you’re dedicating to each goal every day.

3. Set reminders: Use Timeular’s reminder feature to set daily notifications for your habit activities. This can help you stay on track and ensure you don’t forget to complete your daily actions.

4. Review your progress: Timeular generates detailed reports and insights about your time usage, allowing you to see how much time you’ve spent on each habit over days, weeks, or months. Use this data to celebrate your progress, identify patterns, and adjust as needed.

5. Integrate with your calendar: Timeular integrates seamlessly with popular calendar apps, making it easy to track your habit activities alongside your other commitments and deadlines.

Use automatic time tracking to stay on track with your chain of habits

Create dedicated activities, track them automatically and set reminders to ensure you don’t forget to complete your daily actions.

Try Timeular 30 days for free

It’s high time you created your chain!

The Break Chain technique is a simple yet powerful strategy for building habits and achieving your goals. By understanding the psychology behind habits and using the right tools and strategies, you can create a chain of consistent behavior that leads to positive habit formation.

Remember, the key is to focus on the process, not the results, and use positive reinforcement to encourage desired behavior.

The post Don’t Break the Chain: The Productivity Hack That Made Seinfeld a Legend appeared first on Timeular.

While employee monitoring software provides undeniable benefits for productivity and operational efficiency, its misuse oftentimes has a negative impact.

So, what are some of the downsides to electronic monitoring of employees, and how can you balance productivity with employee tracking?

In this article, you’ll learn:

• What types of employee monitoring technology are frequently used

• The pros and cons of employee monitoring

• Best practices to use in implementing employee monitoring tools

What is employee monitoring?

Employee monitoring is the practice of using various monitoring software to track and record work hours and employee productivity at work. From tracking work hours to monitoring internet usage and even capturing keystrokes, employee monitoring can take many forms.

Essentially, the aim is to gather data that helps managers make informed decisions about resource allocation, productivity, and overall operational efficiency.

With remote and hybrid work becoming a norm in recent years, employee monitoring software utilization has grown. However, employee monitoring solutions are used in traditional office environments, too.

At the same time, while the intention behind employee monitoring is often to increase productivity and security or even bill clients, implementing such tools often leads to unintended consequences. The questions raised due to monitoring often relate to privacy, trust, and the overall impact on workplace culture.

Do you know how many work hours you have in a year?

Types of employee monitoring

Employee monitoring methods and tools embed features that have a direct impact on business processes but are unnecessary and even unethical. Here are some ways in which organizations often track employee activity:

Monitoring automatically all activities performed by employees

One way in which you can monitor employees is by tracking employee computer activity. At Timeular, the way employees track their work is done in multiple automated ways:

• They track app usage to recall their work activities

Essentially, employees check which apps, docs, and websites they’ve worked on at a specific time in the day, and then they decide what turns into an automatic time entry for their timesheets.

Note that in this case, anyone has autonomy over their data and chooses what turns into a report or not, and then decides if employers or managers have access to all their automatic captures.

Track employee work hours

Tracking employee work hours is one of the best ways to address your evergreen question, “How to measure employee productivity.” Remember, when assessing the time tracked on employee work hours on different projects and activities, it needs to be compared to their output, too.

Once you track time spent on meetings, client projects, admin tasks, and other activities in a time reporting system, you can gain insights into any operational changes needed in your business. With an automatic time tracking tool, you don’t need to calculate work hours, as these are surfaced automatically in reports similar to the one below.

Keystroke monitoring

This method reveals how many times an employee hits the keyboard on their device. Some employers use this data to determine employee performance. While some companies embrace this employee data, at Timeular, we consider it unnecessary, and we do not consider that it contributes to business goals or growth in any way.

Let’s take the example of a team working in a remote environment.

In such a case, employees need to communicate via messages more than they would do in an office setup. Hence, monitoring keystrokes would not inform the operational efficiency or any other qualitative metric. Instead, it would overload you with information but not valuable workforce analytics.

Another downside of keystroke monitoring is that it can capture sensitive information, which can lead to privacy infringement and low employee morale.

Location tracking

Workplace monitoring is another method embedded in employee monitoring software. However, it should be utilized only if necessary. It is important in instances in which an employee visits a client site, works on the field, and allows managers access to employee routes, ensuring that their safety at work is in control and safety protocols are taken into account.

Location monitoring software is, however, unnecessary in particular cases and can harm employees if this data is weaponized against them.

Screen activity monitoring

Another method of employee monitoring is to track the screen activity of an employee through screenshots.

Often, screenshots do not reveal information on how long an employee is working, how to plan capacity, or if they are productive or not. This way, you’ll monitor employees’ work habits or all the breaks they may have. You may, in fact, create a feeling of discomfort, as if Big Brother is watching, which is highly invasive.

Video surveillance

Video surveillance is often utilized as a measure of safety and security and ensures theft or other non-accepted behaviors at work occur. If this method of employee monitoring is used in your organization, make sure you obtain employee consent and abide by federal and state regulations.

What are the pros of employee monitoring?

There are many reasonable business objectives for which employee monitoring matters in a business is needed:

• The employee data is used to calculate work hours for payroll reports;

• Employee monitoring helps you answer the evergreen question of how to measure employee productivity and enhance it.

• There are businesses such as marketing agencies that bill their time worked on projects. Therefore, the need for transparent reports to clients is pivotal.

• Employee monitoring data surfaces operation gaps in certain business processes that waste your time or resources. Once you analyze user activity data, you’re able to enhance all processes with data-driven insights. Indirectly, the above insights can drive sales, enhance productivity and employee retention, or properly split the workload between employees.

• Besides striving for efficiency, organizations use employee monitoring software to mitigate security risks, which is, perhaps, the most legitimate business reason for employee monitoring. Data breaches are quite common, and if you’re monitoring employees, you’ll be able to identify the actions an employee took that led to a data breach.

• Using employee monitoring helps you control data theft and prevent such behaviors. Research shows that 9.4% of employees exfiltrate data in a six-month timespan, and they’re likely to steal sensitive data two weeks before they resign.

What are the cons of employee monitoring?

If you’re starting to build your employee monitoring strategy, you need to be aware of the unethical techniques that are often practiced, which can decrease employee morale and make employees feel under constant surveillance.

Let’s unpack the cons of these practices and find the right ways to monitor employees:

• Decreased employee morale: Many times, managers weaponize the collected data to micromanage their teams, give certain team members more work, and reduce the employee’s autonomy at work. These behaviors negatively impact the way employees feel and even affect their well-being. 

• Privacy concerns: Tracking software with features like video surveillance and location tracking stores sensitive information about employees in the public cloud, which raises massive privacy concerns. For example, unless location monitoring is necessary for employees who work on client sites or for other security reasons, it should be avoided.

• Employee distrust: Employees can easily feel a sense of distrust and misunderstand an employer’s intentions.

• Legal concerns: The Electronic Communications Privacy Act of 1986 regulates the electronic monitoring of employees. Therefore, employers need to explicitly communicate to their employees and respect the ethical principles included in the Electronic Communications Privacy Act in order to stay away from legal trouble.

• Employee monitoring is discredited: Unless you clearly explain the objectives of employee monitoring, your team can discredit the importance of monitoring. Hence, the way they manage software utilization impacts data collection and the insights you’re making business decisions on.

Best practices in employee monitoring software

If you’re looking to combat the cons of employee monitoring while benefitting from its advantages, you must implement it effectively. Let’s check some of the best practices to ensure employee monitoring brings positive and productive for everyone involved.

1. Create a transparent employee monitoring policy

In order to guarantee employee acceptance of such monitoring tools, you need to clearly communicate to your team the objective behind implementing such software, along with what data you’re collecting.

Understanding how a specific tool impacts both the business and each individual makes them trust and adopt it without second thoughts or fears.

An example of a monitoring tool that was not implemented the right way was Barclays. The company implemented sensors underneath employees’ desks in their London office with the purpose of understanding office space usage. However, due to the lack of a clear explanation of why the sensors were implemented, employees started taking the sensors off or throwing them away.

Such poor implementations of employee monitoring lead to low usage of the tool you’ve invested in and not fulfilling your objectives. Express clearly that you’re looking to detect high-risk behavior and protect company data and sensitive information.

Choose a nonintrusive employee monitoring software for your team

Timeular doesn’t support screenshots or weaponizing tracked data. That’s why managers can see an employee’s time-tracking data with a 12-hour delay.

Try Timeular 30 days for free

2. Measure the metrics that truly matter

Employee monitoring should be implemented to detect operational dysfunctionalities, bill your clients, track productivity, and other similar goals that impact your business overall. It’s best to take into account employee privacy concerns right from the start and not go beyond some limits. Some of the metrics that you could consider in measuring workforce productivity are:

• Task completion rates: Track the tasks completed on time versus the number of overdue tasks to inform an employee’s performance.

• Output volume: Collect data on how many tasks were completed in a timeframe rather than keystroke monitoring or other invasive surveillance measure. Check the number of projects, articles written, and others.

• Customer satisfaction scores: The best feedback an employee can have comes from the way they interact with clients in a customer-facing role. Check the CSAT, average wait time, or first call resolution.

• Teamwork: Analyze if your employees collaborate with other team members or remote workers or have good interdepartmental skills in case these are needed in their specific roles.

• Employee engagement: Assess deeply if they are motivated and engaged by their work; in case they are not, it’s redundant to track productivity; it’s only natural for their productivity to be lower in such a case.

• Project management: Track and understand how employees handle their projects, how they manage the vendor partners’ contact, and their progress against milestones.

3. Obtain employee consent

Obtaining employee consent to be monitored is the foundation of monitoring ethics. Your employees must give their explicit consent to share their private information and, at the same time, be given the option to opt-out if they’re unwilling to use monitoring tools.

Note that you should have a legitimate business reason for using employee monitoring software, as well as respect the laws and regulations on monitoring employees in your specific region.

4. Avoid misuse of time-tracked data

Once you start using data collected to weaponize it against your team, micromanage them, or tell them they’re taking too many breaks, your employees will feel surveilled, and their trust in the process will erode. Try to collect only data that informs decisions that impact your business decisions.

Choose an ethical and privacy compliant work tracker for your team

With Timeular, your team will track time effortlessly, and you’ll be able to easily manage attendance and their time off.

Try Timeular 30 days for free

Build employee trust with ethical employee monitoring software

Time tracking provides pivotal data for your business, and it empowers you to make confident decisions with data rather than gut decisions. However, if misused, it hinders productivity and defeats its initial purpose.

Using a work hours tracker that protects employee privacy with anti-surveillance measures, integrates easily into your infrastructure, and makes time tracking seamless can be easily adopted by your team.

FAQ

The post What Are Some of the Downsides to Electronic Monitoring of Employees? appeared first on Timeular.

The 2-2-3 schedule might be the solution you need. Known for its balanced approach to continuous operations, this shift scheduling pattern is designed to keep your business running smoothly without compromising employee well-being.

In this guide, I’ll introduce you to this rotating shift schedule with day and night shifts, walking you through its advantages, challenges, and variations of the same schedule.

What is the 2-2-3 work schedule?

The 2-2-3 work schedule is a rotating shift pattern designed to provide coverage around the clock with a simple and predictable cycle. For such a work schedule, you’ll need four teams who split their work into day and night shifts. In essence, employees work 12-hour shifts over a 2-week period, following a pattern of two days on, two days off, and three days on.

The 2 2 3 work schedule then reverses, with the employee working two days on, two days off, and two days on, followed by three days off. Often used in industries that require 24/7 operations, the 2 2 3 work schedule (also called the Panama schedule) is best applied in manufacturing, healthcare, call centers, and public safety.

How does the 2-2-3 work schedule work?

To better understand how the Panama schedule functions, let’s break it down:

• Week 1:

  • Day 1 & 2: Work

  • Day 3 & 4: Off

  • Day 5, 6, & 7: Work

• Week 2:

  • Day 8 & 9: Off

  • Day 10 & 11: Work

  • Day 12 & 13: Off

  • Day 14: Work

  This cycle then repeats, providing employees with every other weekend off. Over the course of a two-week period, employees work a total of 7 shifts, equating to 84 hours.

Exemplified in a four-week cycle, here is how the 2 2 3 shift work schedule would look like:

Here is a two-week cycle based on the 2-2-3 schedule:

Week	Mon.	Tue.	Wed.	Thu.	Fri.	Sat.	Sun.
1	Team A	Team A	Team A	Team A	Team A	Team A	Team A
2	Team B	Team B	Team B	Team B	Team B	Team B	Team B
3	Team A	Team A	Team A	Team A	Team A	Team A	Team A
4	Team B	Team B	Team B	Team B	Team B	Team B	Team B

Table legend:

• = Day shift

• = Night shift

• = Rest day

In this 2-2-3 shift pattern, Team A and Team B alternate between day shifts, night shifts, and rest days over a two-week cycle, which makes sure you’ll have 24/7 coverage with consistent time off. Leave time and work time schedule to ensure the good physical and mental health of your employees.

Types of 2 2 3 work schedule alternations

1. The DuPont schedule

The DuPont shift schedule is a more complex type of shift work method. It is, however, applicable to the same industries as the 2 2 3 work schedule works for. It involves a slow rotation cycle of 12-hour shifts, with built-in breaks and days off, alternating as well between day and night shifts equally.

The DuPont schedule requires four teams to implement your shift schedules and can look as follows:

• Week 1: Four night shifts

• Week 2: Three days off

• Week 3: Three consecutive day shifts

• Week 4: One day off

• Week 5: Three consecutive night shifts

• Week 6: Three days off

• Week 7: Four-day shifts

• Week 8: Seven consecutive days off

Remember, three-night shifts of 12 hours each might be challenging and tiring for your employees. So, consider carefully before applying such a schedule for your workforce. Your team might prefer and perform better on eight-hour shifts as it allows for more rest.

Advantages of the DuPont shift schedule:

• Fewer shift handovers and less friction

• Round-the-clock coverage

• Long recovery time for employees for adequate rest

Disadvantages:

• 12 hours shifts increase health and safety risks

• Difficult work schedules for certain employees

You and your team spend 71.5% of our year at work

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2. The Pitman shift schedule

The Pitman schedule, like the DuPont schedule, includes rotating shifts to provide round-the-clock coverage for all business operations. The difference is that the Pitman schedule offers a simpler rotation pattern and is often preferred for its predictability and employee-friendly structure.

It involves 12-hour shifts, too, and operates on a 2-week cycle with alternating day and night shifts.

Here’s how a typical Pitman cycle might look:

• Week 1:

  • Days 1 & 2: Two consecutive day shifts

  • Days 3 & 4: Two days off

  • Days 5, 6, & 7: Three consecutive day shifts

• Week 2:

  • Days 8 & 9: Two consecutive night shifts

  • Days 10 & 11: Two days off

  • Days 12 & 13: Three consecutive night shifts

  • Day 14: Off

This alternating pattern continues, with employees working either day or night shifts on a fixed basis, and it makes it easier to plan personal activities around work.

Advantages of the Pitman schedule:

• Consistent work-life balance with every other weekend off

• Simplicity in scheduling with a 2-week rotation pattern

• Continuous coverage

Disadvantages:

• Long shifts (12-hour shifts)

• Night shift challenges for employees

3. The DDNNOO schedule

The DDNNOO schedule involves a repeating cycle of day shifts, night shifts, and days off, as well, but with a straightforward 6-day rotation for multiple teams.

Here’s how a typical DDNNOO cycle works:

• Days 1 & 2: Two consecutive day shifts (12 hours each)

• Days 3 & 4: Two consecutive night shifts (12 hours each)

• Days 5 & 6: Two days off

After the 6-day cycle, the pattern repeats.

Advantages of the DDNNOO schedule:

• Predictability, as its implementation is closer to a fixed schedule type

• Simplified management, as it is simpler than other shift patterns and reduces administrative burden for managers

Disadvantages:

• Long shifts of 12 hours which can be demanding

• This may include up to 32 hours of overtime work in certain weeks

Advantages of the 2-2-3 work schedule

Implementing the 2-2-3 work schedule brings numerous advantages for businesses and teams:

1. Consistent coverage

Ensuring round-the-clock coverage is pivotal for businesses that operate 24/7. The 2-2-3 work schedule promotes seamless handovers between shifts, with lower downtime periods. This is particularly beneficial in industries like healthcare, where patient care cannot be compromised, or in manufacturing, where machinery must be monitored at all times.

2. Simplified scheduling for businesses

Using a straightforward shift schedule like the Panama schedule makes it easy for managers to plan shifts. Its simple repeating pattern is easy to understand and implement. Hence, it reduces the back-and-forths associated with more complex scheduling systems.

3. Lower costs

If you’re looking to minimize overtime expenses, the 2-2-3 work schedule can bring these unexpected advantages, too. As it evenly distributes shifts across two weeks, the Panama shift scheduling reduces the likelihood of employees exceeding regular working hours. The unexpected result is that it reduces overtime hours and pay while contributing to employee well-being.

2. Improved work-life balance

One of the significant advantages the Panama Schedule brings to employees is the predictability and the ability to plan their personal duties more effectively. The predictable rotation and regular days off, including every other weekend, help employees have a better work-life balance.

3. Increased productivity

Employees who work on shift schedules often report higher productivity levels. Longer shifts give them the chance to focus more over certain time periods. At the same time, the regular breaks help them recharge and return to work refreshed. This structure can lead to better overall performance and higher-quality output.

Challenges of the 2-2-3 work schedule

While the 2-2-3 schedule offers many benefits, it’s not without challenges. Here are some common issues you may face upon deployment and strategies for overcoming them:

1. Employee fatigue

Working 12-hour shifts inevitably leads to fatigue. To mitigate this, encourage employees to take regular breaks during their shifts and promote a healthy work-life balance. Ensure that your team has access to ergonomic workstations, healthy snacks, and hydration stations.

2. Scheduling conflicts

Despite the predictability of the 2-2-3 work schedule, conflicts can still arise due to personal commitments or emergencies. To address this, consider implementing a shift-swapping system that allows your team to trade shifts with colleagues. Of course, you decide on your own rules for management to approve the swap.

4. Adaptability to industry changes and needs

As your business grows, the demands on your workforce change, too. It’s essential to remain flexible and adapt the 2 2 3 work schedule as needed. Regularly review your scheduling practices and be open to experimenting with different patterns if your current schedule no longer meets your business’s or team’s needs.

Technology in managing the 2-2-3 work schedule

Your rotating shift schedule process needs to be automated if you’re looking to make it successful and streamline its implementation and management. Hence, incorporating technology is essential. Here’s how technology can support your scheduling efforts:

Time tracking

Time-tracking tools help ensure that employees work on their scheduled shifts and take the necessary breaks. Moreover, an automated time-tracking app surfaces if your team works overtime or has deficit hours, and you can evaluate if any changes are needed to the schedule itself.

A work schedule comprises an average 1,920 hours of work per year

Make sure you plan the work schedule based on data. An automatic time-tracking surfaces your time spending habits, as well as where productivity is sinking.

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Implement your 2 2 3 work schedule

You should be equipped with all information needed to start implementing your 2 2 3 work schedule. Remember, before starting to implement or even create a new work schedule, take into account your team’s opinions and needs. With the right strategies in place and the right work schedule for your unique case, you can balance your business demands with a happy team.

Keep in mind these steps in your 2 2 3 schedule implementation for a successful deployment:

1. Assess your business needs

• Staffing requirements: Do you need 24/7 coverage, or can shifts be limited to certain hours?

• Employee preferences: Are your employees open to working 12-hour shifts, or would they prefer shorter shifts with more frequency?

• Operational efficiency: Will this schedule improve your overall operational efficiency, or are there better alternatives?

2. Ask your team’s opinion

3. Create a trial period

4. Develop a rotation plan

5. Communicate the schedule clearly

6. Monitor and adjust

FAQS

The post The 2 2 3 Schedule: Pros, Cons, and Alternatives appeared first on Timeular.

We have all experienced the scenario in which the more overwhelming our workload becomes, the less productive we are, and the more we sink into a snowball of negativity that is hard to escape from.

So, it’s only responsible for business owners or managers to plan, distribute, and monitor their staff’s workload in a way that primes team members for success.

That’s why, in this article, I’ll walk you through:

• The ins and outs of workload management strategies
• The pivotal steps in building a workload management process
• Ways of measuring your team’s workload

Keep reading to learn practical tips for effective workload management. First things first: let’s find out what workload management is all about and how it can impact all your pre-planned project management.

What is workload management?

In simple words, the workload is the total number of tasks someone has to complete in a given period. It can be measured quantitatively, by the number of tasks, or qualitatively, based on the complexity of those tasks. 

Each person and job may have a different concept of a heavier or balanced workload. That’s fine. For certain jobs, a heavy workload may consist of one task that is complex and demanding for team members. On the other hand, someone might handle multiple tasks, which are completed quite easily, compared to the above example, but still categorize the workload as demanding.

In either case, there’s a limit to what every single person can realistically do within a certain period. 

So, having in mind what workload means, let’s dive into the purpose of workload management.

Workload management aims to distribute tasks fairly among all your team members. Your goal is to ensure every team member has enough on their plates to keep them productive, but not so much that it’s impossible to get done.

Understand your team’s workload

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To do this, you need to consider employee performance, how many complex tasks they could handle in a specific amount of time, as well as, deadlines. You must also consider resource availability and estimate tasks based on the team’s fit to perform them.

Generally speaking, a good manager spends a good deal of time reflecting on how to make a workload management strategy that accommodates the team capacity and employee workload. Above all, project managers are tasked with balancing the company’s overall performance expectations with the team’s workload.

Read also: How to do a detailed employee workload analysis

Why is workload management important?

Effective workload management results in higher productivity and better project management. In case of obstacles or unforeseen events, it’s much easier to define a workload management plan that offers guidelines on the tasks that must be done, when, and by whom.

Ongoing workload management also helps you determine whether you need more resources to achieve your goals, prioritize tasks, and stay away from uneven workload distribution. On top of this, it contributes to the motivation and well-being of team members, which highly impacts results. According to a recent Asana study that analyzed 10,000 workers in seven countries, approximately 70% experienced burnout last year.

Efficient workload management helps prevent work overload, aids in project success, and increases team performance. Did you know that an excessive workload is one of the 10 top causes of stress at work?

What are the 5 steps of proper workload management?

1. Write down all your tasks

For almost every problem in life, making a to-do list is part of the solution.

This is one of the best workload management techniques, allowing you to take a macro view of your work and enabling you to prioritize assigned tasks. List all the tasks for the week, month, or year, depending on your plan.

Include repetitive tasks, highest priority tasks, administrative tasks, challenges, etc. Make sure those tasks match SMART goals: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Time-Oriented. You could also define and write down your goals in workload management software.

Discover the importance of setting realistic goals to succeed.

Keep your team’s workload in check with a user-friendly time tracking tool

Time tracking helps you to keep an eye on workload and overtime

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2. Prioritize your work based on impact and effort

Once you’ve made your list, you should look at the different tasks and categorize them according to what we call the impact vs. effort matrix.

Do you know that quick decision-making is one of the most sought-after skills in a professional? The impact vs. effort matrix is a decision-making method that can help everyone, not just managers, to make their decision-making process faster. According to this technique, each task should be categorized according to the level of effort required and the potential impact it will have. This should be the basis on which you allocate resources afterward.

When determining the effort required for a particular action, you should weigh factors such as the time it’ll take to complete it and its complexity.

Thus, you should divide your tasks into:

• Low effort and low impact
• Low effort and high impact
• High-effort and low-impact
• High effort and high impact

Once you’re clear about what each task implies, you should get into project planning. How should you assign tasks for your team and project, starting with the simpler yet more impactful tasks or the ones you categorized as urgent tasks? The decision is yours!

Remember: such a solution will have a big impact on project schedules and delivery.

Kano or RICE are some examples of task management methods that can increase your productivity. Get to know all the best prioritization techniques.

3. Set achievable and realistic deadlines

Every goal needs a realistic deadline. Having well-defined deadlines makes the path much more linear, as all those involved know the timeframes to be met for a successful project. Setting deadlines helps project managers prioritize and adapt the plan in case of challenges or temporary productivity breaks, as well as all team members. It leads to a healthy work-life balance.

Professional growth requires learning to prioritize tasks and adapt the work plan when necessary, and this can only be done with achievable and realistic deadlines. 

4. Delegate tasks fairly

Proper workload management requires excellent delegation skills and capacity planning.

To delegate tasks fairly, project managers must consider several factors: the strengths and limitations of each team member, their skills, the team’s schedule, performance, and even the pre-existing workload. Knowing your team members in depth is halfway to better-managing workloads and optimizing productivity.

Did you know that delegating is one of the four D’s of time management? Get to know the other three in our guide.

• Recommended read: What is a DuPont schedule?

5. Plan for challenges

Expect the best, but prepare for the worst. This saying teaches us that we should not live just hoping everything will work out because, well, it won’t.

In life and at work, you should always have a plan B. So, make sure you have a solution for the most common problems: a colleague falls ill and needs to be replaced on one of the most important projects, while other team members cannot fill that gap, a proposal is not approved, a deadline is not met, etc.

Stay prepared, and you’ll never have to prepare!

If you’re a project manager, you might be interested in our guide to project risk management.

The best tips for effective workload planning

1. Write to-do lists

We touched on this tip above when discussing the importance of writing down all your tasks.

Using a to-do list is one of the most effective ways to turn an idea into an actionable plan before considering any complex project management technique.

Before you start a project, you should list all project tasks, even the ones that seem insignificant. If necessary, break each one down into smaller actions and delegate them according to the criteria we talked about earlier. Make sure you’re also aware of the task dependencies in your project.

Some of the advantages of using to-do lists include:

• Extra motivation and accomplishment, as you see progress happening;
• Better time and workload management;
• Increases your efficiency
• Decreasing anxiety;
• Better organization and productivity.

2. Use time management techniques 

You can and should also rely on time management strategies to handle your team workload effectively.

Managing time is all about organizing and planning your tasks to achieve your goals more effectively while boosting productivity. It helps team leaders understand and balance workloads based on accurate data while ensuring an accurate team utilization rate.

Today, I’ll tell you about two techniques for managing time that we find particularly interesting for workload management.

4 Quadrants of Time Management Matrix

This technique, called The Eisenhower Matrix, is frequently used in project management. According to this method, there are four quadrants in which you should categorize each of your tasks according to their urgency and importance.

• Quadrant 1: Urgent and important
• Quadrant 2: Not urgent yet important
• Quadrant 3: Urgent but not important
• Quadrant 4: Not urgent and not important

Then, tackle each task according to your strategy. This technique can be used together with the impact vs. effort matrix we discussed earlier for even better results!

• Check out the best planner apps for Android.

Time blocking

Time blocking is a technique that consists of blocking off periods in your calendar to work on your assigned tasks. During that time, nothing else should interrupt you.

This technique is particularly useful to help you dive into periods of deep work where you’re focused.

You should take your tasks and logically group them to create a time block. Then, all you have to do is distribute them across the blocks of time in your calendar and do your best to stick to them.

This will help you to better manage your workload.

• TIP: Download the best daily and weekly time-blocking templates.

3-3-3 method

The 3-3-3 method for time management is:

1. Three tasks: Focus on three main tasks a day so you don’t feel overwhelmed.
2. Three breaks: Take three short breaks during the day to rest and recharge to focus and avoid burnout.
3. Three minutes: Spend three minutes in the morning planning your day and three minutes in the evening to reflect on what you’ve done to stay clear and motivated.

3. Track time

Time tracking should be part of any manager’s suite of workforce management software. It is at the forefront of effective workload management, as it helps leaders analyze past data against future outcomes and come up with better workload planning.

Such a tool provides detailed reports on team members’ completed tasks, and the time needed for them, as well as, distinguishing client work by labeling activities as billable or non-billable within the tool.

Overall, tracking time helps leaders improve their workload management process, assign tasks fairly based on the team’s capacity, and enhance team productivity.

Note: Contrary to some beliefs, time tracking does not serve as an employee surveillance tool, but rather a tool for intelligent workload management.

Find how to get employees to track their time

4. Workload management No-Gos:

• Try to multitask – one of the main time wasters at work;
• Waste time with too many useless meetings;
• Set expectations too high, condemning the project to failure before it even begins;
• Be too rigid with assigning tasks (delegation);
• Assign too much work to high performers (unfair resource management);
• Being indecisive with a team member who is not performing as expected.

Keep your team’s workload in check with a user-friendly time tracking tool

Time tracking helps you to keep an eye on workload and overtime

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Read also: How context-switching kills productivity

Who should be managing the workload?

In most environments, the team or project manager is in charge of team workload management. In some cases, several managers might share this responsibility. So, it’s important to have excellent communication and collaboration skills. However, even if they are not primarily responsible for managing workload distribution or resource allocation, the entire team has a shared responsibility to manage workloads.

Only with the inputs from those producing the work is it possible to create efficient workload management practices, balance team workload, help with insights on project schedules, and create a better work experience for everyone. 

So, even if you’re not in a managerial position, make sure you make yourself heard!

What is the best way to measure workload?

To manage your team’s workload, start by tracking time spent on tasks using a reliable time-tracking tool like Timeular. This will give you the data to see how your team is spending their time so you can identify imbalances and make informed decisions.

Analyze this data to optimize resource allocation, prevent burnout, and ensure tasks are spread evenly across team members. Review and adjust regularly based on what you learn to keep the team balanced and productive.

With a time tracking system in place, you’ll boost team efficiency and employee well-being and get a more cohesive and effective team.

Conclusion

Workload planning is not just an important part of a project. It is essential, as it’s crucial, to keep employees motivated, productive, and happy while you constantly improve your workload management.

Underestimating workload management can get in the way of successful project management and may come up with consequences, both in quantity and quality of work and staff satisfaction and retention. Regardless of how advanced a project management software is, it won’t beat a well-done workload management process.

We hope this article helped you better understand workload management and contributes to better-assigning tasks, enhancing team members’ productivity, and overall having successful projects!

FAQ

The post Workload Management Guide: How To Master Work Planning appeared first on Timeular.

Employee motivation adds enthusiasm and commitment to the drive that already exists in an organization. Hence, discovering techniques to skyrocket motivation will help create a productive and competitive (healthy and fair) work environment.

Here is a preview of some motivation strategies you’ll discover in this article:

• Being a respectful, friendly, and empathic manager;
• Transforming the workplace into the place everyone wants to be;
• Giving purpose and responsibility to employee roles and others.

Your team spends 71.5% of their year at work

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Supporting and investing in employee motivation not only results in better company results but also helps people reach their best in terms of skills and personal goals. Empathy must exist from the employer’s side so that the motivation techniques can work. People with a high motivation level love going to work, see their job as an important and fulfilling part of their day, and feel inspired to achieve their personal goals and gain job satisfaction.

Keep in mind that motivating does not equal pressuring someone into burnout. Let’s start exploring some suggestions and ideas to motivate employees.

Motivation in the context of work

What exactly is motivation? What drives a group of people to achieve a mutual goal?

In a work environment, motivation refers to an employee’s enthusiasm, commitment, and drive to achieve organizational goals. It’s the level of energy, creativity, focus, and drive that an employee brings to their job. Note that workplace motivation is influenced by both intrinsic factors, such as personal satisfaction and growth, and extrinsic factors, such as rewards, recognition, or fear of punishment.

Motivated employees have some common traits:

• Employees have higher productivity;
• They are willing to take more responsibility;
• They tend to go above and beyond their basic job requirements;
• Employee motivation also manifests as loyalty;
• They feel that they have a purpose which impacts their mental health.

Ways to motivate employees

1. Be a respectful, friendly, and empathic manager

Let’s start with the simplest tip and maybe the best way to motivate employees.

A bad manager or employer is the main reason people quit and tell others not to apply for a position in the company they just left.

Respect, communication, support, honesty, and responsibility are the foundations of leading a team and great ways in which managers motivate employees.

There’s more to it than just being nice and respectful. A good leader knows how to motivate employees and really listens to their issues and any employee feedback. If you’re a good person to work for, the staff will be and stay motivated.

2. Transform the workplace into the place everyone wants to be

If you work 100% remotely, do not ignore this tip. Maybe your meetings and retrospectives need some help. However, we’re discussing physical space especially.

In this post-pandemic world, most companies turned to hybrid work as a solution to cut spending because the workers appreciated the work/life balance that avoiding commutes brought them. 

If your company belongs in this category, you might want to convince your staff to spend more days at the office than at home. Focusing on the details of the workspace is even more important when your company works in the office 100% of the time.

A pleasing working space that fits the company’s aesthetics, well-lit and functional is the route to take. Make sure that you have enough workstations for the employees that are in the office regularly.

Keep the equipment (they’re work tools, after all) up to date. Both the physical computer and the software need to do their job, for example, task automation software to save time.

These worries may look like a given, but many companies don’t prioritize work conditions, which leads to demotivated workers. Keeping a clean and nice-looking space doesn’t have to be expensive if you don’t have the budget for it.

Just be creative and organized. Having food/snacks available and offering water and other drinks, like coffee, works wonders as well.

3. Find ways to increase employee engagement

A highly motivated employee is much more likely to be engaged with their work compared to those who feel unmotivated.

How can you increase employee engagement in your team? By assuring them that their professional and personal contributions will make a difference in the company’s progress.

This gives them a feeling of satisfaction, and this makes for a better, more fun work environment. One to which people want to belong and be a part of creating or transforming every day.

The staff should be involved in celebrations of milestones, and events as simple as office holidays or birthday parties work wonders.

Fun contests between workers are a fun idea to promote healthy competition. People will know each other better and create bonds, increasing engagement in the company’s daily life. Nowadays, the idea that a job is just a job and a chore is not true anymore.

Read an article about project management milestones that you can celebrate in your team.

4. Provide training and learning opportunities

This is one of the best answers to “How to keep my team members motivated?” and “How to increase employee productivity?”.

One key driver to boost morale is providing specific training or learning opportunities, as you’re helping your employees to improve their job performance. It’s a win-win situation for the worker and the company since you’re building a high-performing team.

Job enrichment potential and advancement enhance the degree of engagement and create a sense of loyalty.

Allowing learning opportunities to be pursued helps with employee retention rates since workers are motivated to remain on the job, eliminating the desire to look for work elsewhere.

Thinking about this from the perspective of the employee, a course or training prevents boredom and staleness in the workplace. Not only does motivation rise, but satisfaction does too.

The employee feels like a valuable asset to the company that is willing to invest in them. Encourage your employees to have an always-learning mentality.

Since time management is considered a soft skill, think about providing time management training to your employees.

5. Offer flexibility in the employees’ schedules when possible

Offering real flexibility to your workers contributes to a better work relationship, increases employee satisfaction, and supports the independence of employees. The term work flexibility should mean more than just being a nice thing to say in a LinkedIn job post. 

If the company works mostly in person, that is fine. Maybe offering the possibility of working a couple of days a week from home or adjusting work schedules can be a good start to increasing employee engagement levels.

This strategy can help motivate your team to perform better whenever they are in the office. Providing this possibility to employees motivates them and removes the stress from the everyday hustle.

6. Provide bonuses, rewards and openly talk about salaries

This is somewhat of an obvious suggestion, but it’s one of the most effective.

Yes, you need to express gratitude verbally, too, but monetary incentives, especially during rising inflation and living costs, encourage employees to push more and deliver outstanding work.

Giving incentives, rewards, or bonuses helps to increase stimulus work, helps to improve commitment in work performance and creates zeal towards work, helps to reach maximum potential and capabilities, and to increase productivity. We’re talking about annual bonuses or monthly incentives, for example. 

A huge project might be a good opportunity to reward the team with a bonus. Even gift cards for some major stores are a good idea. Human resources can float some ideas through the employees of the company in a questionnaire to understand what they most value in terms of monetary rewards. Good health insurance also falls into this category.

Doing this provides both the hope of getting a reward and the psychological satisfaction of earning incentives. 

If you’re dealing with a lot of remote workers, there are several tools to help you manage remote employees that are going to be useful for this step.

7. Provide positive feedback and encourage the workers

People need positive reinforcement, especially in the workplace. Giving positive feedback to employees shows that you notice and appreciate their hard work and contribution.

Positive feedback and encouragement work wonders because words do matter when it comes to motivating someone, and you may find that this is one of the best motivation strategies for a team member.

Finishing work and achieving the goal gives a feeling of satisfaction. Being recognized for it provides a feeling of motivation. This recognition should be frequent, meaningful, and, if comfortable for everyone involved, public.

Read: What to say to motivate your team.

8. Encourage activities outside of work responsibilities

There are other ways to motivate your team that aren’t bonuses or monetary rewards. Motivated workers have fulfilling personal lives outside of their professional development.

At the same time, promoting activities outside work, in your team’s personal life, is a way to bring people together. These activities bring a lot of intrinsic motivation, something that is also very important.

For example, activities like team building and fitness challenges contribute to a healthy sense of competition between colleagues.

Team building days are extremely motivational, and at the same time, they enhance team communication. The team will spend weeks talking about what they might be doing. Most popular activities include some kind of sports, treasure hunts, exits, escape rooms, trivia contests, etc.

This point also includes providing employees with opportunities to bond outside of the workplace, even in non-team building moments.

The trust that can be built in these moments will translate back into the workplace being able to get to know your colleagues in an informal setting allows employees to establish more meaningful connections.

9. Give purpose and responsibility to roles

There are no small parts, only small actors. You probably know this famous phrase, coined by Konstantin Stanislavski, known as the “father” of modern acting.

This quote is quite simply applied to other industries. It means that every role is important, and every part has a fundamental job in making things work every single day. Every role needs equal commitment and should be valued by the people in charge in the same way.

Giving purpose to someone and their job and motivating them by telling them how their role is contributing to the growth of the company gives them confidence. Employees feel motivated by their contribution more often than you’d believe.

Employers need to tell the staff about their accomplishments and how their role influenced the company. It makes employees more cooperative and reduces the chances of conflicts between them, contributing to a more positive and creative workspace.

Added responsibilities also work as a bonus. You’re telling your employees that they’ve been doing a great job and in recognition of that, being given more responsibilities will motivate them. 

10. Establish expectations and achievable goals

Productivity can be improved by clearly explaining to employees what is expected from their work and setting clear expectations.

Being clear in defining expectations gives the team clarity to the whole workplace and helps to improve their way of approaching their goals. That’s why it is very important to set realistic goals.

Have conversations with the employees about the long-term plans the company has for them and how they can contribute to this growth with their work and dedication. Set the standards in the workplace that every employee plays an important role in. If things get more complicated, put these expectations in writing.

Now, it’s important to remember we’re all humans. Achievable goals and objectives are what support good employee performance. This will contribute to keeping the productivity and motivation levels high. These goals should be challenging but not unrealistic.

Author Charles Duhigg, known for his research on productivity, habits, and work culture, explored that dividing work into a combination of big goals and S.M.A.R.T. goals is one of the most effective ways to get things done.

The big ones keep the focus on the finish line, and the S.M.A.R.T. method works like a ladder, as a group of steps one has to climb. This acronym means:

S – Specific

M – Measurable

A – Achievable

R – Realistic

T – Timeline

These are the “conditions” that the task must incorporate to be successful. 

11. Communicate clearly and ask the employees what they want

To conclude our list of the best ways to motivate your employees, we have a simple tip: ask what they want/wish through clear communication. This affirmation is not made in black and white but inside the context of each company.

People’s preferences are dynamic and change with time. For example, three years ago, remote working was not a preference. That was it if a person had to commute for four hours with no choice.

Keep the dialogue flowing, research, and keep asking them what can be done to improve their conditions of work. Professional life can also be impacted by personal issues, which can be super unpredictable.

If your workers say the same thing each time, the best organizational behavior you could have is to listen, acknowledge, and do your best to deliver it. If they contribute ideas that are not taken into account or come up with complaints, employees feel less valued and are actively disengaged.

Listening to their needs is one of the best ways to boost employee morale, and motivated employees will move mountains for your company’s goals.

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Conclusion

As you’ve seen, there are many ways of keeping employees motivated. However, creating and promoting a culture in which you’re recognizing employees and and praising is not only important for motivating employees but is also crucial to overall company success and growth.

Don’t forget to keep and promote an open communication system in your company culture to have a motivated workforce.

The post 11 Proven Ways to Motivate Employees appeared first on Timeular.

As project cost management is a multifaceted discipline, I’ve done the research to ease your heavy lifting.

Hence, in this comprehensive guide, you’ll find:

• The concept of project cost management and its importance;
• Different techniques and key tools to handle project cost management;
• Common challenges faced by teams.

By the end of this article, you’ll be equipped to handle the demands of project cost management and have a good grasp of various techniques, tools, and best practices.

What is project cost management?

Project cost management is estimating, budgeting, and controlling costs throughout a project’s life cycle. Its primary objective is to ensure that expenses remain within the approved budget.

For a project to be considered successful, it must fulfill the following criteria:

• Meeting the defined requirements and scope.
• Achieving a high standard of execution quality.
• Completion within the agreed-upon schedule.
• Staying within the allocated budget.

Therefore, project cost management stands as one of the fundamental pillars of project management, applicable across various industries such as manufacturing, retail, technology, construction, and more.

It plays a vital role in establishing a financial baseline that project managers can use to assess the status of their project costs and make necessary adjustments if necessary.

Why is project cost management important?

An efficient project cost management process enables project managers to:

• Set clear expectations with stakeholders.
• Control scope creep by establishing transparency with the customer.
• Monitor progress and promptly implement corrective actions.
• Maintain expected margins, increase ROI, and prevent financial losses on the project.
• Generate data for future project benchmarking and long-term cost trend tracking.

Understanding the significance of cost management is straightforward. To illustrate this, let’s consider the example of building a house as part of a project lifecycle.

• The first step is to establish a budget, which provides a sense of the project’s financial boundaries. Once the high-level budget is determined, it is further divided into expenses for sub-tasks and smaller line items.

The budget plays a critical role in making important decisions, such as choosing the right designer: one who can handle the entire project from start to finish or someone who can assist with specific elements while working within a smaller budget. Additionally, the budget helps decide the number of rooms in the structure and the quality of materials to be used.

Without a well-defined budget, answering these questions becomes challenging, and evaluating progress during the project becomes nearly impossible.

In larger organizations, this challenge is exacerbated by the concurrent running of multiple projects, changes in initial assumptions, and unexpected costs. This is precisely where the cost management process begins and becomes vital.

TIP: Project monitoring and control techniques.

The four steps in project cost management

Cost management is a continuous process in the project life cycle, but breaking it down into four distinct steps can facilitate a better understanding and execution: resource planning, estimation, budgeting, and control. Though these four steps are typically sequential, adjustments may be required if resource changes occur during the project.

Let’s explore each step in detail:

1. Project resource planning

Resource planning involves identifying the necessary resources to execute and complete a project successfully. These resources may include personnel (employees and contractors) and equipment (such as infrastructure and specialized machinery).

This planning occurs at the project’s start before any actual work begins. Project managers develop a work breakdown structure (WBS) to evaluate each subtask’s resource requirements, such as the number of personnel with specific skills and the materials or equipment needed.

During resource planning, historical data, feedback from subject matter experts (SMEs), and the impact of time constraints on resource availability must be considered. Ground realities may require adjustments, such as hiring external contractors or providing training to internal teams.

Read also: Examples of goals in project management

2. Cost estimation

Cost estimation involves quantifying the expenses associated with all the required project resources. To calculate costs accurately, it’s essential:

• Resource requirements (obtained from the resource planning step)
• Prices of each resource (e.g., staffing costs, vendor fees, material rates)
• Duration for which each resource is required
• List of assumptions and potential risks
• Past project costs and industry benchmarks
• Insight into the company’s financial health

Estimation is a critical step, as deviations between estimated and actual costs can impact project success.

Various estimation models are available, such as analogous estimation, parametric modeling, and program evaluation and review technique (PERT).

Decisions regarding top-down or bottom-up approaches depend on available past costing data and project experience.

Cost estimation also aids decision-making during the planning phase by comparing multiple project solutions and evaluating cost reduction strategies, such as value engineering.

3. Cost budgeting

Project cost budgeting involves allocating costs to specific project segments, such as individual tasks or modules, over a defined time. Budgets may include contingency reserves to manage unforeseen expenses.

Budgeting creates a cost baseline against which project cost performance can be measured and evaluated. It enables the assessment of future funding requirements, allowing the project manager to set targets based on available financial resources.

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4. Cost control

Cost control is a continuous process that monitors cost variances from the baseline and initiates appropriate actions to address discrepancies.

This step takes place throughout the project’s life cycle and relies on timely and transparent project reporting.

The cost management plan, detailing measurement criteria, deviation thresholds, corrective actions, and decision-making authorities, is an essential input for cost control. Earned value management (EVM) is a popular approach for measuring cost performance.

By measuring actual progress against planned progress and assessing schedule and cost variances, cost control provides decision-makers with transparency and the ability to respond promptly to project situations.

Recommended:

• The best ways to track project expenses
• Markup Calculator
• Overtime Calculator
• Time Card Calculator
• Margin Calculator

Project cost management formulas

To gauge the financial health of a project and assess its performance, project managers rely on several key formulas. These formulas help them measure cost efficiency, performance, and variances. Here are some essential ones:

Cost Performance Index (CPI)

The CPI indicates the value of work accomplished per unit of cost spent.

A CPI greater than 1 suggests efficient cost performance, meaning the project is getting more value out of every dollar spent. On the other hand, a CPI of less than 1 indicates cost overruns.

Cost Performance Index (CPI) = Earned Value (EV) / Actual Cost (AC)

Schedule Performance Index (SPI)

The SPI evaluates the project’s schedule efficiency.

An SPI greater than 1 signifies good schedule performance, indicating that the project is ahead of schedule. Conversely, an SPI of less than 1 indicates delays in the project.

Schedule Performance Index (SPI) = Earned Value (EV) / Planned Value (PV)

Cost Variance (CV)

The CV measures the variance between the earned value (the value of work performed) and the actual cost incurred.

A positive CV implies cost savings, while a negative CV suggests cost overruns.

Cost Variance (CV) = Earned Value (EV) – Actual Cost (AC)

Estimate at Completion (EAC)

The EAC predicts the expected total cost of the project based on current performance.

It considers the budget at completion and the cost performance index to estimate the total cost of the project.

Estimate at Completion (EAC) = Budget at Completion (BAC) / Cost Performance Index (CPI)

Project cost management techniques

Implementing effective cost management techniques is vital to controlling project expenses and ensuring financial success. Here are some essential techniques:

• Bottom-up estimating: This technique involves breaking down the project into smaller, more manageable tasks and estimating the cost of each component individually. Summing up these estimates provides a more accurate overall project cost estimation.
• Reserve analysis: Projects are inherently prone to uncertainties and unexpected events. Reserve analysis involves setting aside contingency reserves to account for potential risks. These reserves act as a buffer to handle unforeseen circumstances without affecting the primary project budget.
• Parametric estimating: This technique involves using historical data and statistical relationships to estimate costs. Project managers use historical cost data from previous similar projects and apply it to the current project, factoring in variables like size, complexity, and other relevant parameters.
• Analogous estimating: Also known as top-down estimating, this technique relies on expert judgment and historical data from past projects to estimate the current project’s costs. It is particularly useful in the early stages of a project when detailed information is limited.
• Earned Value Management (EVM): EVM is a powerful technique that integrates project scope, schedule, and cost to assess project performance and predict future outcomes. It allows project managers to measure progress objectively and identify deviations from the approved budget and schedule.

Project cost management tools

In the digital age, project management tools have become indispensable for efficient cost management. These tools not only streamline processes but also enhance accuracy and collaboration. 

There are several project management tools and software that will boost your performance and productivity as a project manager, for example, project management cost software, workload management tools, resource management and planning tools, and time tracking tools like:

• Timeular (time tracking)
• Asana (project management)
• Zoho Projects (project management)
• ClickUp (project management)
• GanttPRO (for Gantt charts)
• Resource Guru (resource planning)
• Runn (resource planning)

Why and how does time tracking help project management?

If you’re a project manager, you should know that time tracking plays a crucial part in various aspects of your role:

• Perfect planning & estimation: it provides historical data for estimating effort and setting realistic deadlines.
• Helps resource allocation: monitoring time allocation helps optimize workload and assign tasks effectively.
• Facilitate budget management: tracking time spent helps control costs and identify inefficiencies.
• Ease tracking progress: it offers insights into task progress, allowing adjustments to keep projects on track.
• Enhances performance evaluation: time tracking data enables objective assessment and feedback about time spent.
• Helps decision-making: analyzing data helps make informed decisions on scope, resources, planning, and budget.
• Foster client trust and communication: it enhances transparency, justifies costs, and showcases project progress.
• Stimulate continuous improvement: time tracking supports optimization and learning for better outcomes.

Project management time tracking means analyzing the progress of tasks and projects, recording the time you spend on each one, monitoring and optimizing the use of resources, and ensuring projects are on schedule and within budget.

When considering time-tracking tools for effective project cost management, one app stands out as a game-changer: Timeular.

Timeular: our recommended choice for time tracking in project management

Timeular is the most effortless time-tracking solution for teams of all sizes. It offers an intuitive approach to tracking and managing time, directly impacting project cost control in several ways:

• Accurate resource allocation: Timeular is an automatic time tracker that allows team members to precisely and automatically track the time spent on different tasks and activities. This accuracy ensures that resources are allocated efficiently, preventing unnecessary costs and optimizing project expense distribution.
• Data-driven decision-making: Timeular generates data-rich reports that showcase how time is allocated over different project components. These reports offer valuable insights into resource utilization, helping project managers allocate budgets more effectively and make data-driven decisions for better cost control.
• Early warning system: Timeular acts as an early warning system for potential cost overruns with its budget feature. Project managers can identify tasks consuming more time than budgeted, allowing them to take corrective actions promptly and avoid exceeding budget constraints.
• Streamlined client billing: For projects billed based on hours worked, Timeular is the best billable hour time tracker and ensures clients are billed fairly, reflecting the actual effort expended. This transparency fosters trust and eliminates discrepancies in client billing, enhancing the client-vendor relationship.
• Collaboration and transparency: Timeular promotes transparency within project teams by offering a clear view of how everyone’s time is being allocated. This collaborative approach fosters open communication, enabling teams to manage time and costs effectively collectively.

Uplift your project management experience

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Timeular makes time tracking simple and fun

Teams chose Timeular because of its easy implementation and use. Teams can track their time accurately with less than 1 minute per day. This is thanks to the multiple and intuitive tracking methods allowed in Timeular:

• Automated time tracking
• Add calendar events to the timesheet in Calendar automatically
• Track time with a physical time-tracking dice
• Track time with keyboard shortcuts

I could never get time tracking to work effectively. That’s changed now, thanks to Timeular.

Rachael, Senior Developer

Timeular’s top features for project management:

• Physical Tracker – help to build time tracking habits within the team
• Leave & time off tracking – have a general overview of your resources availability day by day
• Quicktrack – which allows starting new time entries with keyboard shortcuts without wasting time opening the app
• Easy time tracking everywhere you go, thanks to a mobile app.
• Automated time tracking – the team will always have a timesheet ready.
• Automated data visualization and insights – understand where your team’s time is going in detail.
• Accurate billing with custom reports & data export – bill clients accurately and build trust.
• Adding notes and tags to time entries – add more transparency to the time entries.
• Shared folders to track time with your team – work collaboratively, and never cheese a timesheet again.
• Over 3,000 apps are integrated through Zapier. Use your favorite project management tools with Timeular.

Read also: All about employee leave absence

Who is responsible for cost management in a project?

Project cost management is part of the role and responsibility of the project manager. But, at the same time, it is a collaborative effort involving all stakeholders.

The project manager oversees the cost estimation, budget allocation, and cost control activities while ensuring adherence to the approved financial plan. However, the success of cost management relies on the active participation and support of team members, financial experts, sponsors, and clients.

Challenges of cost management and how time tracking will help

Despite its significance, project cost management comes with its share of challenges. Addressing these challenges effectively is crucial to achieving project objectives. Common challenges include:

• Inaccurate estimations: Poorly estimated costs at the project’s initiation can lead to significant budget deviations and financial strain during execution. To prevent the risk of inaccurate estimation, we recommend using a time-tracking tool to provide historical data to benchmark when estimating new projects.
• Scope creep: Uncontrolled changes or additions to project scope can disrupt budget planning and cause cost overruns. Still, time tracking can prevent scope creep by revealing which activities take up most of the team’s time in advance.
• Resource constraints: Limited availability of resources can hinder cost optimization and project efficiency, leading to compromises on project quality. Time tracking again is a precious help to prevent resource restrictions by tracking the team’s time, you’ll know who’s overworking and will promptly make a decision.
• Stakeholder expectations: Balancing stakeholder expectations, especially when faced with tight budgets and limited resources, can be challenging for project managers. One last thing: time tracking can help manage stakeholder expectations. With past-time tracking data about your team, you’ll know how long each task will take. Hence, you won’t incur the risk of overpromising something to stakeholders.

Read also: How to estimate time for a project

Conclusion

In today’s competitive business world, efficient project cost management is crucial for success. This guide explores its techniques, tools, and challenges.

Project cost management involves estimating, budgeting, and controlling costs throughout a project’s lifecycle. Successful projects meet defined criteria, maintain execution quality, adhere to schedules, and manage costs. It’s fundamental across industries, forming the financial baseline for evaluating expenditures.

Effective cost management empowers project managers to

1. set expectations
2. control scope
3. monitor progress
4. maintain margins

It yields data for future benchmarking and trend tracking. The guide outlines four stages: resource planning, estimation, budgeting, and control.

Crucial formulas like CPI, SPI, CV, and EAC measure project health. Techniques like bottom-up estimating, reserve analysis, parametric estimating, analogous estimating, and EVM enhance cost management. Modern tools like Timeular optimizes efficiency.

For project managers, Timeular’s intuitive time tracking ensures accurate resource allocation, data-driven decisions, cost control, and collaboration. It streamlines time recording and provides insights. Overall, cost management powered by tools like Timeular ensures efficient resource utilization, project success, and financial stability.

The post Project Cost Management: The Ultimate Guide appeared first on Timeular.

Before we get cracking, here’s what you’ll learn in this article:

• A breakdown of the factors that influence the total work hours in a year

• Accurate calculations and formulas on how many hours you work in a year

• How an automatic work hours tracker helps keep track of every work hour

The standard work hours in a year

To calculate work hours accurately, we need to start from the standard yearly work hours, which apply to most of the United States and not only.

If we start with the standard schedule of typical full-time employees, the average hours worked, and regular paid time off, we’ll be calculating work hours with ease.

1. A typical full-time job consists of 40 weekly hours of work

2. There are 52 weeks in a year

Using these figures, I’ll make a simple calculation:

40 hours/week × 52 weeks = 2,080 total hours worked per year

This number, 2,080 hours, is often used as the standard for full-time employment in many countries, including the United States. Remember that at this stage of the calculation, I have not included paid holiday hours, specific holidays for federal employees, or overtime hours.

You spend 71.5% of your year at work

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Once I demonstrate how to deduct the above and what factors need to be taken into consideration to obtain the total hours of work, you will discover how many working hours you have in a year.

If you’d like to explore this topic more, I’ve written a guide on how many work days there are in a year, too. I’ve also explained concepts like leap year and why 2024 is a leap year.

Work hours based on a weekly schedule

Even if there’s a standard number of hours worked per week generally accepted, many of us have a flexible hour workweek, so the average working hours differ. Some of us choose to work less to spend more time with our families or simply to achieve a healthy work-life balance.

Regardless of our reasons, we end up with a different work schedule, which determines how many hours we work in a year. Here’s a breakdown of yearly work hours based on different weekly schedules:

• 20 work hours per week leads to 1,040 hours worked in a year

• 25 work hours per week leads to 1,300 hours worked in a year

• 30 work hours per week leads to 1,560 hours worked in a year

• 35 work hours per week leads to 1,820 hours worked in a year

• 40 work hours per week leads to 2,080 hours worked in a year

• 45 work hours per week leads to 2,340 hours worked in a year

• 50 work hours per week leads to 2,600 hours worked in a year

• 55 work hours per week leads to 2,860 hours worked in a year

• 60 work hours per week leads to 3,120 hours worked in a year

How many non-work hours do you have in a year?

In order to find out the number of hours in which you’re not working in a calendar year, you’ll need to subtract the total number of hours worked in a year from the total hours in a year.

A typical year comprises 8,760 hours (365 days × 24 hours = 8,760 hours). Starting from this premises, let’s uncover how many non-work hours you have in a year based on different work schedules:

• 20-hour workweek: 8,760 hours – 1,040 work hours = 7,720 non-working hours

• 25-hour workweek: 8,760 hours – 1,300 work hours = 7,460 non-working hours

• 30-hour workweek: 8,760 hours – 1,560 work hours = 7,200 non-working hours

• 35-hour workweek: 8,760 hours – 1,820 work hours = 6,940 non-working hours

• 40-hour workweek: 8,760 hours – 2,080 work hours = 6,680 non-working hours

• 45-hour workweek: 8,760 hours – 2,340 work hours = 6,420 non-working hours

• 50-hour workweek: 8,760 hours – 2,600 work hours = 6,160 non-working hours

• 55-hour workweek: 8,760 hours – 2,860 work hours = 5,900 non-working hours

• 60-hour workweek: 8,760 hours – 3,120 work hours = 5,640 non-working hours

You know best how you’re planning your non-working hours. However, spending them on leisure activities and non-work-related tasks contributes to your well-being and work-life balance. What’s more, being aware of the number of hours off work helps you plan your PTO hours and holidays.

Factors affecting annual work hours

As demonstrated above, there are a few baselines for the number of work hours someone generally has; however, we still need to account for several factors that significantly impact the actual number of hours an employee works in a year.

The weekly work hours and yearly can depend on company policies, industry standards, or individual circumstances.

These factors are public holidays, federal holidays, sick days, personal time off, or overtime hours/days.

To calculate the total hours worked in a year, you’ll need to perform the following:

Total hours in a work year = (Number of working hours per week x 52) – [(PTO days + number of paid holidays) x number of working hours per day]

Guide to calculate work hours in a year

1. Track your work hours

Both as an employee and an employer, you want to make sure you’re not working too many hours in a year. So, the first step in understanding your own labor statistics is to track your weekly hours of work diligently. This way, you’ll be able to easily calculate your total yearly work hours by multiplying them by 52.

How? Simply multiply your hours worked in a day by the number of working days in a week. If you’re looking for a seamless method, try Timeular’s time card calculator, as it calculates your work hours automatically. Here’s a preview of the calculator:

The calculator will automatically summarize base hours, overtime tracking, total work hours, and total pay based on your input. Your time spent on work will be converted into decimal hours automatically.

You’re able to download the time card data in a PDF format and print it out to keep a hard copy if needed.

Now, to obtain the total number of annual hours in a year, you need to multiply it by 52. For example, if you tracked 41 hours of work during a week, which includes overtime or additional hours, you will multiply it by 52, as follows:

41 hours of work/week x 52 = 2,132 work hours/year

Note that you still need to deduct certain days, like vacation days and other paid time off.

2. Deduct your time off

From the total you obtained so far, in order to get to the final annual hours in a year, you need to deduct paid holiday hours, federal holidays, vacation days, or sick time.

The paid time off depend on the country and its public holidays or the policies of the companies you’re working for.

Most employers offer paid holidays to their salaried employees, though they are not liable by law. In the U.S., the average number of paid holidays is 7-11 days per year. The US federal holidays are listed on the U.S. Office of Personnel Management Website, but here are the federal holidays for the record:

1. New Year’s Day — Monday, January 1st,

2. Martin Luther King Jr. Day — Monday, January 15th,

3. Presidents’ Day (or Washington’s Birthday) — Monday, February 19th,

4. Memorial Day — Monday, May 27th,

5. Juneteenth National Independence Day — Wednesday, June 19th,

6. Independence Day — Thursday, July 4th,

7. Labor Day — Monday, September 2nd,

8. Columbus Day — Monday, October 14th,

9. Veterans Day — Monday, November 11th,

10. Thanksgiving Day — Thursday, November 28th, and

11. Christmas Day — Wednesday, December 25th.

After deducting the federal holidays, full-time workers on a standard schedule will need to add up to 88 hours (resulting from 8 hours a day x 11 federal days).

So, the public holidays reduce the number of hours worked to 88 hours in the United States.

Deduct all time off from your yearly hours

The average paid vacation time in the U.S. ranges from 10-20 days, depending on your years of service. So, deduct holiday hours, too, in your final calculation.

Also, consider that you might also need some sick leave or just personal days off in which you need to take care of your personal errands or challenges. Many companies do offer paid sick leave and personal days.

Starting from the premises that you worked for 8 hours a day in a year, and you have 11 public holidays, together with ten more holiday days, you end up with:

• 2,080 hours – 88 hours (public holidays) – 80 hours (vacation days) = 1,912 total annual work hours

How do you make sure you leverage your 1,912 hours at work?

An automatic time-tracking makes you aware of your time-spending habits and helps you make better use of your time.

Try Timeular 30 days for free

Why does should you know your annual work hours?

One of the main reasons is that you’re spending 71,5% of your year at work on a standard schedule, which is quite a lot of your time, right? You should leverage it and spend it wisely.

At the same time, understanding your annual work hours is far more than just a numerical exercise. Your relationship with work can have profound implications on your personal time and life, too. Let’s explore both the commonly recognized and the often-overlooked benefits of knowing your yearly work hours.

1. Accurate salary calculations and negotiations

For hourly employees or part-time workers, knowing your annual work hours is crucial for estimating your yearly earnings and obtaining fair pay. This knowledge empowers hourly workers to, and not only to:

• Compare job offers and hourly rates, and, if the case, negotiate raises with a clear understanding of your current compensation;

• Plan for potential overtime earnings based on your overtime pay;

• Make informed decisions on your annual spending, holidays taken, and investments;

• Understand the true value of your time, potentially leading to more informed career decisions.

2. Work-life balance optimization

Awareness of your annual work hours comes up with a specific measure of your time allocation, which then allows you to:

• Assess whether your current job aligns with your lifestyle goals or not;

• Identify periods of overwork and potential burnout risks, which are higher and higher, according to research, particularly after the Pandemic;

• Plan your work capacity based on your regular hours of work and time off;

• Justify requests for flexible working schedules, additional time off, or working extra hours;

3. Legal compliance and employee rights

Understanding annual work hours is pivotal for both employers and employees when discussing legal considerations:

• Ensuring compliance with labor laws regarding overtime, breaks, and maximum working hours a day or shifts;

• Identifying potential wage and hour violations;

• Supporting cases for fair labor practices or workplace improvements;

• Helping with accurate calculation of benefits, holiday pay, and retirement contributions;

4. Precise budgeting and financial planning

Both individuals and businesses benefit from accurate work-hour calculations by:

• Creating precise personal budgets or company forecasts;

• Planning for major expenses or investments based on expected earnings;

• Estimating tax liabilities more accurately;

• Making informed decisions about savings and retirement planning;

Timeular fills out timesheets automatically

If you’re either an employee, part of the HR team or the founder of an agency who needs to invoice, or calculate payroll hours, but stumble upon the question “how many work hours did I do” or ” how many work hours did this employee do this month”, an automatic time tracking alletiavtes your pain.

Yes, sending manual timesheet reminders or sending timesheet memes can work, but it’s consuming your time, and let’s be honest, we’re living in the all-automatic era, and we need to be at the top of our games.

So, leave timesheets to an automatic time-tracking app like Timeular. Such a timesheet will surface all data you’ll need in a customized report, easily exportable in a PDF or CSV.

Here’s an example in which you already see the overtime hours and deficit hours some employees worked:

That’s not all; with this time reporting system, you can manage all time off requests.

Remember about the timesheet reminders?

Here’s an example sent through Timeular automatically – I received it a few weeks ago, so you don’t need to remind anyone.

“Hi Madalina,

Quick friendly reminder. It’s time to wrap up last week’s timesheet.
Right now, you’ve logged 33.4 of 40 hours (83.5%).
Could you please double-check and fill in any missing time entries or leave requests? If you’ve done so already, please disregard this automatic reminder.

Thanks for keeping things up-to-date!

Warm regards,”

The post How Many Work Hours in a Year? A Comprehensive Guide appeared first on Timeular.

However, mastering its use differentiates us as individuals and businesses. Good time management can unlock productivity, reduce stress, and achieve your goals.

In this article, I’ll guide you through:

• The ins and outs of effective time management techniques

• The reasons why you’re struggling with time management

• Cutting-edge tool time management tools that can help you track time and take control of it

What is time management?

Time management is the process of planning and controlling how much time we spend on specific activities. It involves goal setting, prioritizing tasks, and allocating time effectively to achieve our desired outcomes.

Though it enables us to work smarter, be more productive, and find a better work-life balance, fine-tuning our relationship with time requires a great deal of time management skills and constant readjustments. In my research, I found a definition that sums up all facets of time and how our rapport with time should be:

Why do you struggle with time management?

Yes, time management tools and techniques are undeniably pivotal in our productivity and in our ability to finalize our to-do list or have successful project management, but these are not enough.

So, before we jump into techniques for time tracking and the best time management tools, you need to have clarity on why you’re struggling with time management today.

• You’re overestimating: We often fall victim to the planning fallacy, overestimating what we can accomplish in a given timeframe and ending up with piling to-do lists. How often do you plan to complete a report in two hours but end up taking four, throwing off your entire schedule? This has to do with setting realistic goals, not with learning better time management practices.

• You don’t prioritize: Without clear priorities, you may waste time on less important tasks while neglecting your most important ones. Do you spend hours answering non-urgent emails while a critical deadline for a major project looms unaddressed? Then, work on your task prioritization behaviors first.

• You get distracted easily: You cannot really avoid distractions, notifications, and instant gratification nowadays. The “I’ll check social media for just a minute” easily turns into an hour of lost productivity. It might be useful to learn how to overcome procrastination first.

• You’re not planning realistically: Failing to plan ahead leads to wasted time and missed deadlines, not to mention time anxiety. You need to have an in-depth look at everything that needs to get done and critically plan your tasks and workload.

• You’re using outdated tools: To the extent that tools help us boost productivity and deliver great work, to that same extent, they slow us down and block our progress if they’re outdated. Regardless of whether it’s a project management tool or a task management tool, it needs to be fast and automatic and speed up your work instead of interrupting it.

• You never say no to work: Taking on too many commitments can spread your time too thin. You need to understand if you’re struggling with an underlying time management issue or an inability to say no, and then start using a time tracking software. I’ve written a comprehensive guide into how to say no at work, which might help you if that’s your case.

Start tracking your time to replicate Richard’s success

“We have become 20% more profitable because everyone is in the habit of time tracking.” – Richard Wingfield, Head Geek at Envision Design

Try Timeular now

Make sure that you understand these challenges as the first step toward addressing them before starting to apply other time management skills or investing in time-tracking software. Nonetheless, let’s explore what time management strategy suits you among the following techniques.

Time management techniques to apply

1. The Pomodoro Technique

Developed by Francesco Cirillo as a student, this technique uses a timer to break work into intervals. I may be biased, as it is my favorite time management system, but it does wonders in the way I approach task management.

So, with the Pomodoro timer, you’ll have a focus session of 25 minutes (called “Pomodoros”), separated by a short break of 5. Then, the cycle continues. The Pomodoro deep work session can differ in length based on how much time you need to focus.

This time tracker helps me keep my focus for 25 minutes at a time and primes me to direct my attention to only one task that I need to progress within that amount of time.

How to apply the Pomodoro technique:

1. Choose a task to work on.

2. Set a timer for 25 minutes.

3. Work on the task until the timer rings.

4. Take a short 5-minute break.

5. Repeat.

6. After four Pomodoros, take a longer 15-30 minute break.

2. The 1-3-5 Rule

The 1-3-5 Rule is a simple method for prioritizing daily tasks, be it administrative tasks or tasks requiring more mental capacity. I’ve discovered this technique recently, and I have to say, it’s helping me feel that I’m accomplishing multiple varied tasks in a day. Moreover, I found that it helps me balance my workload and track progress easily on work.

This rule involves completing the following:

1. One big task

2. Three medium tasks

3. Five small tasks

Seems doable, right? For me, it really was a game changer that put things into perspective when it comes to task and time allocation. Particularly if you’re overlooking the difficulty of some of your tasks and feel like you can achieve more than you actually can in a day.

Here’s how to use the 1-3-5 Rule:

1. Identify that one major task that requires significant time and effort.

2. Select three medium tasks that are important but less time-consuming than your big task.

3. Choose five small tasks that can be completed quickly, such as responding to emails or updating your to-do list.

4. Focus on completing these nine tasks throughout your day.

Example: Your 1-3-5 list might include writing a project proposal (big task), doing some research, updating a spreadsheet, preparing for a team meeting (medium tasks), responding to emails, updating your calendar, and filing expense reports (small tasks).

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3. The Eisenhower Matrix

Named after President Dwight D. Eisenhower, the Eisenhower Matrix helps you prioritize tasks based on their urgency and importance. With this powerful time management tool, you learn to assign tasks into the following four quadrants:

• Urgent and important (Do): Crisis, pressing problems, or deadline-driven projects.

• Important but not urgent (Schedule): Planning or relationship building.

• Urgent but not important (Delegate): Interruptions, calls, or some meetings where your presence is not mandatory.

• Neither urgent nor important (Eliminate): Time wasters, emails that can wait, or phone calls.

How to apply the time management Matrix:

1. List all your tasks for the day or week.

2. Assess each task’s urgency and importance.

3. Place each task in quadrants accordingly.

4. Take action: Start with important tasks and urgent tasks, followed by the other quadrants.

4. Time blocking

The time-blocking method helps you literally “block” your time and protect it. It involves dividing your day into dedicated time slots for specific tasks or activities. This way, you know that time spent on certain important tasks is planned in advance, and nothing can interrupt your progress on key priorities.

Here’s how to implement time blocking:

1. Identify your most important tasks and estimate the time needed for each.

2. Divide your day into blocks of time (e.g., 30 minutes, 1 hour) and assign tasks to each block.

3. Treat each block as an appointment with yourself and resist interruptions during these focused work sessions.

4. Include breaks and buffer time for unexpected tasks or delays.

5. Review and adjust your time blocks regularly based on your progress and changing priorities.

5. Eat the Frog

“Eat the Frog” is a time management strategy that encourages tackling your most important, challenging, or dreaded task first thing in the morning. That task is your “frog,” essentially. By completing this task early, you build momentum and a sense of accomplishment that carries through the rest of the day.

I have to admit, this is not my favorite method, as I’m becoming more active later in the day, but my colleague, Karolina, loves this method. Here is what she says:

My favorite time management strategy? Start the day or week with the least pleasant task. This technique, called “eat the frog,” ensures I complete all my to-do list tasks, not just the ones I find interesting. Karolina Matyska, Senior Content Marketer

Here’s how to apply this technique:

1. Identify your most critical or daunting task for the day.

2. Tackle this task first before moving on to other activities.

3. Resist the temptation to procrastinate or work on easier tasks first.

4. Celebrate your achievements to fuel your productivity throughout the day.

5 Best time management tools

Time management tools have many use cases in a business. Time tracking software helps capture billable hours, which are then invoiced to customers, and helps make critical decisions based on the time tracking data. At the same time, such tools help make better project management decisions with data-backed estimates.

Let’s dive right in and uncover the features of each time management tool.

1. Timeular for centralized time tracking and leave management

Timeular is an all-in-one time tracking app that stands out with its smart, secure, and automated ways to track time, as well as its time-tracking cube.

What’s more, Timeular is powered by AI functionalities and allows for leave tracking, too, allowing for a unified and automated solution for multiple functions.

Awarded by Capterra for its intuitiveness as the “Best Ease of Use Tool in 2023” and used by 100.000+ users, Timeular removes the guesswork from your data while it requires a simple commitment on your side: to spend only one minute of your day filling in your timesheets. Timeular will take care of the rest.

Here are Timeular’s key functionalities:

• It offers seamless ways to track time: automated time tracking, AI-based time entries, or manual time tracking for the old-fashioned. Note that regardless of the method, you won’t spend more than 1 minute a day tracking time with Timeular. It’s that easy!

• It’s the only time-tracking app with a physical device included that, once flipped, tracks another task in the software.

Timeular’s cool time-tracking gadget is one of its methods to quickly track time

It’s loved by its 100,000 users, as it makes time tracking fun, enjoyable, quick and tactile.

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• It allows users to automate, customize, and export time reports fast. The bonus is that the reports look clean, and there’s no Excel formula involved in the process.

• It works as an overtime tracker, too, so all overtime or deficit hours of an employee are automatically captured in reports based on their preset work hours.

• It’s designed to notice individual productivity patterns with AI, such as apps that make you procrastinate or inform you at what times you’re the most productive.

• It captures billable hours and PTO tracking and sends notifications to fill in detailed timesheets while staying within budget. While Timeular is available to unlimited users in its Enterprise time-tracking plan, its price for a personal plan starts at $ 6,89.

  

2. Todoist for seamless task management

Todoist is a simple, user-friendly interface that is powerful for time management due to its main feature: to-do lists.

You need to keep in mind that Todoist is not a native time-tracking software but a task-management tool. It helps you organize and plan your tasks in a to-do list, as well as collaborate on team projects.

Here are Todoist’s key functionalities:

• It has a clean interface that contributes to seamless task management

• It supports robust task management by allowing you to set recurring dates, categorize tasks by priority, sections, and subsections;

• It allows you to add voice notes, comments, and screenshots to assigned tasks;

• It includes a wide variety of templates to add your tasks on instead of creating your own templates;

• It makes it easy to collaborate by sharing projects with your team and delegating tasks or team scheduling;

• It adds fun and enjoyment to your to-do lists with gamification by giving you a preview of your achievements.

3. Remember the Milk for an organized to-do list

By its name, you can understand that Remember the Milk was created to help users no longer forget that bottle of milk they wanted to buy at the grocery store, but they came back home without it.

However, Remember the Milk grew beyond grocery lists and supports more than that. It is, in essence, a to-do list app designed to simplify and plan tasks efficiently without forgetting the most important items.

Here are Remember the Milk’s key functionalities:

• It includes a smart list feature that automatically creates new lists based on your search criteria;

• It provides location-based reminders triggered when you enter a specific geographic area or location;

• It offers color-coded tags to help differentiate and prioritize tasks based on their colors, so you no longer forget the milk;

• It enables you to filter tasks by priority to focus on the most critical items first.

• It supports intuitive task sharing and delegating to collaborate seamlessly with your team;

4. Forest for focus and productivity

Staying focused, just as mentioned above, in the section on struggling with time management, is not an easy task in itself. So Forest tries to change that by gamifing the process of staying focused and mixing it with a charity incentive.

In essence, when you have a focus session, you “plant” a virtual tree. If you leave the app before the set time, your tree dies. Over time, you grow a forest representing your focus sessions, and that’s the visual representation of your productivity. This adds a sense of purpose to the app and contributes to environmental sustainability.

Here are Forest’s key functionalities:

• It offers gamified focus sessions with virtual tree planting to visualize your progress and productivity;

• It includes customizable focus timers ranging from 10 minutes to 2 hours, depending on how long you need to focus;

• It features a real tree-planting initiative through a partnership with Trees for the Future, and it showcases unlockable tree species to keep you motivated.

• It allows for collaborative focus sessions with friends.

5. Trello for task and project management

You must have heard of Trello if you are not already using it. Trello is a project management tool that transforms complex projects into visually compelling boards.

Trello wins users over with its simplicity and allows you to organize, prioritize, and track tasks with an intuitive, drag-and-drop interface.

• It offers a visual board, list, and card system for organizing tasks and projects, which makes it easy to get a quick glance view of project progress;

• It comes with an intuitive drag-and-drop functionality for super easy task management;

• It includes customizable cards with checklists, due dates, and attachments and allows anyone to add comments.

• It integrates seamlessly with a wide variety of tools, among which are Google Drive, Dropbox, and Slack;

Start mastering your time management

Effective time management is a combination of being time-aware, using the right tools and techniques, and staying consistent.

Remember, mastering time management is an ongoing process adaptability, too, but when coupling all elements introduced above, you should unlock the key to successful time management.

Don’t miss out on tracking your time with the most effortless app

Powered by AI and supercharged with easy-to-use methods, Timeular helps you track time in < 1 minute a day.

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The post Time Management Tools to Level up Your Productivity Game appeared first on Timeular.

It is oftentimes learned by doing. So, teaching and learning time management should be practical and actionable.

Based on this hypothesis confirmed in 8 years with our 100,000 users, we made this article to serve as a practical guide.

Turn time tracking into a task so easy that your team will even enjoy it

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During the article, you’ll find the following:

• The three most important time management skills you and your team should have;
• How to develop them in two simple ways;
• What are the most effective techniques for managing time;
• A practical example of how using a time-tracking tool leads to learning time management;
• And others.

Skills for successful time management

According to Erich C. Dierdorff, professor of management and entrepreneurship, there are three skills separating time management success from failure:

• Awareness: the ability to think and estimate realistically your time by understanding that time is limited;
• Arrangement: the ability to design and organize tasks, goals, and work schedules to make effective use of time;
• Adaptation: the ability to monitor your use of time while performing tasks, including any adjustments and interruptions that come along the way.

Dierdorff also indicates that arrangement is one of the most familiar, while awareness and adaptation aren’t as widespread and recognized.

With these in mind, let’s explore two simple instruments to tackle and develop these time management skills practically: time management strategies and time tracking and management tools.

You might be interested in finding out which are the 10 best free time management courses.

Efficient time management techniques

If you are scheduling important tasks in the most productive period of the day or focus on spending time to plan ahead for your upcoming week, then you are managing your time in some capacity.

These examples are brief introductions to time management techniques.

Time management methods are handy mostly in developing one’s arrangement and awareness skills, but let’s explore proven methods in depth:

• Eisenhower Matrix: A framework that helps prioritize tasks based on urgency and importance. It was created by Eisenhower himself to help prioritize all his duties in the US Army.
• ABCDE Method: Rank tasks from the most to the least important, based on five categories, and tackle them in that order.
• Time Blocking: Allocate specific time slots in a day to specific tasks, keep up with that time slot, and focus only on that task. This method is especially beneficial for project-based work and prevents overload or energy wasted on multitasking.
• Timeboxing: Similar to time blocking, timeboxing involves allotting a fixed, unbreakable “box” of time to a task, ensuring it gets completed within that period. This method is particularly effective in preventing tasks from taking longer than necessary and helps meet deadlines more consistently.
• The Pomodoro technique: Use a free Pomodoro timer and schedule your deep work time in bursts of 25 minutes, followed by a 5-minute break. We know its name comes from the Italian word for “tomato,” but its effects on focus and beating procrastination have been proven by research.

Once applied, these techniques help you control your daily schedule better, minimize interruptions, and optimize time usage. At the same time, these are training your awareness and arrangement skills by helping you organize time more efficiently and training your ability to estimate more realistically.

You might be interested in:

• FREE work schedule templates
• Time management templates
• Time tracker printable template
• Time blocking templates
• How to make a time management plan
• Timesheet reminders for teams

Practical time-tracking tools

While time management is about planning how to use time most effectively, time tracking takes the planning further.

Time tracking is about consistently recording the actual usage of time for various activities. In turn, by tracking time, you’ll be provided with:

Accurate data is needed to understand how realistically your plan was created, how to forecast the next budget, or if you need to change the deadline of an important project proactively, as it is at risk.

How a communications agency tracks collective time to maintain the right level of client servicing

“We all love using Timeular. It’s really easy to use and straightforward, especially if you haven’t done time tracking before. We actually enjoy using it and it’s so helpful.” – Eva Lightfoot, Senior Account Executive, Harpswood

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You could also use traditional tracking methods like paper or digital calculators (i.e. Timesheet Calculator) or the well-known Google Sheets time tracking and Excel time tracking; however, they produce friction and are time-consuming.

Conversely, providing your team access to a time-tracking app offers significant help in organizing and managing their time efficiently in real-time.

Here’s how tracking time helps develop all three skills mentioned:

• It helps develop awareness by seeing the tracked data and showing how realistic estimations were versus the turnover time.

Note: This is Timeular’s productivity insights dashboard – it helps to understand app usage, times in which you are most productive or unproductive, and what tasks eat up your time inefficiently.

• It develops arrangement as it offers a simple interface with multiple ways of creating projects, tags, and goals so you and the team can plan;
• Increases adaptation while giving you and your team a bird’s eye view in real-time to understand the progress, including any adjustments needed to the plan.
• For a comprehensive view of how a time-tracking tool helps, check the section below on Timeular.

You might be interested too in a comprehensive article about manual timesheets and why it’s time to ditch them.

Best practices for implementing a time-tracking tool

Time tracking is often identified as control or micromanagement by employees, so it’s important to introduce this practice intentionally to your team for a seamless transition.

The best practices recommended for a smooth transition are:

• Select an easy-to-use tool: an intuitive, easily accessible time-tracking tool will minimize the learning curve for your team and increase adoption. Compatibility with your existing apps and workflows adds up to its adoption and convenience, too.
• Explain its benefits: demonstrate to your team that tracking time is not a surveillance measure but a way to reduce overtime, become more productive, and manage work better. Also, explain its benefits to your organization, such as better project planning, resource allocation, and improvement of work estimates.
• Provide training and support: your team already juggles countless tasks and tools; make it easy for them to start utilizing another tool. Initial training on the new tool and continuous support as everyone becomes familiar with it helps.

TIP: Ideally, request the consultants who held the tool demo with you to schedule a workshop for the team – Timeular, for example, offers a free initial workshop to help with set-up and best practices to encourage adoption.

“People complain a lot less about time tracking now because of the easy interface of Timeular.”

Kaitlin Snow Seamons, Executive Creative Director at Harmon Brothers

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Regular check-ins: improving time management skills takes time, so it would be best to check the tracked data that can provide insights into what’s working and what’s not.

Note: it would be best to add to your to-do lists to remind students (aka your team) to keep tracking their time so they can get into the habit of tracking. Not everybody enjoys tracking time right away.

Timeular – high team adoption tool

Let’s explore Timeular, one of the best time management apps embraced by over 100,000 users.

Why does Timeular drive team adoption?

Timeular is a time-tracking tool characterized by ease of use and automation, and it helps remove the noise so that its users learn how to use time as their resource. Here are some of the most preferred capabilities:

• AI capabilities – which allow your team to automatically track time while they perform tasks in the background

• Its anti-surveillance and data privacy measures – you can win your team over with this – In Timeular, tracked data is stored only on the local computer, not in the cloud, and managers cannot spy on the team while they work, as they have access to tracked data only after 24 hours

• Multiple ways of tracking – your team can track on the calendar view, with keyboard shortcuts, or the physical tracker – they just need to choose what works best for them

• The physical time-tracking gadget – allows tracking up to 1,000 tasks just by flipping it to another side assigned to a task

What makes Timeular a great tool for managers?

Timeular enables managers to:

• Streamline time reporting automatically to identify app usage and productivity patterns that need to be changed within the team; they can spot revenue-generating tasks and activities that should be prioritized, too.

• Get a glance into billable and non-billable hours with a click

• Capacity plan and approval based on leave tracking and overtime tracking, including paid and sick leave, which will be automatically reflected in the monthly timesheet. Note: Many tools of this kind don’t include leave and overtime trackingNote: Many tools of this kind don’t include leave and overtime tracking.

“Since we started using Timeular and tracking our time, we’ve never made another mistake in planning, creating accurate proposals, or budgeting for clients. It’s so easy to use. Everyone uses it, and it shows.” – AC Coppens, Founder of THE CATALYSTS

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• Get a real-time overview of budgets and prevent overbudgeting effortlessly by receiving notifications once certain limits have been reached;
• Task visualization: You can visualize in real-time how to allocate team time across different tasks. Another insight can be prioritizing tasks differently based on the progress of the schedule.

All these capabilities of Timeular enable you to unlock the time management skills mentioned.

Factors contributing to good time management

An effective way of teaching time management skills is by creating a culture that supports and reinforces time management. To do so, consider the following tips:

Establish clear expectations

Through transparent communication, let your team members know what good time management looks like and what is expected of them. Ensure that these expectations are aligned with overarching organizational goals.

Moreover, clarity regarding deadlines, project goals, and daily tasks prevents confusion and inefficiencies. As a leader, you should articulate these expectations clearly, setting a standard for time management within the team.

Recommended reads:

• How many work days in a year?
• How many work hours in a year?

Encourage accountability

First off, accountability should be framed in a positive light, fostering a sense of responsibility and pride in one’s work.

Hold individuals accountable for how they spend time on tasks, encourage them to own time, and turn it into their benefit.

When team members take ownership of their tasks and deadlines, it not only boosts their personal productivity but also contributes to the efficiency of the entire team.

• Individual responsibility: Emphasize the importance of personal responsibility in managing one’s own time. This can be encouraged through regular check-ins and progress reports.

• Team accountability: Foster a team environment where members hold each other accountable. This can be achieved through collaborative tools, such as time management tools, that allow visibility into each member’s contributions.

Foster team collaboration

Encouraging a collaborative environment can help team members prioritize tasks that impact the group’s goals. When your team works well together, they can streamline processes and share the workload, leading to more efficient time use.

• Team meetings: Regular meetings can help align goals, distribute tasks evenly, and ensure everyone is on the same page.

• Collaborative tools: Implement collaborative tools that facilitate easy sharing of information and progress tracking among team members.

Recommended read: How to deal with lazy coworkers

How to overcome challenges in time management adoption

Despite the benefits, implementing time management practices can be met with resistance. Challenges often arise simply due to the change management that has to be considered in implementing a new strategy or tool.

Common challenges

Resistance to time management typically stems from the following:

• Perceived Micromanagement: Employees may resist feeling “watched” or managed too closely.

• Learning Curve: There might be initial pushback due to the additional effort required to adopt new habits.

• Skepticism: Some team members may not immediately see the value in time management practices and tracking.

Strategies for overcoming resistance

To address these challenges, consider the following strategies:

• Communicate openly: Address concerns openly and transparently. Show the benefits of time management and how these practices empower rather than restrict.

• Link to personal goals: Help individuals see the connection between effective time management and their personal career goals. Show them the benefits of time management.

• Incentivize progress: Offer incentives for individuals and teams that show improvement in their time management and tracking practices.

• Continual improvement: Regularly review and refine the time management processes to ensure they align with the evolving needs of the team.

Learn time management practically with smart time tracking tools

Start tracking time with Timeular today

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Conclusion

Teaching the practice of managing and tracking time effectively requires persistently applying and implementing a consistent routine, which is ultimately a mix of factors.

It all starts with understanding the principles of effective use of time, choosing the right tool, providing training, fostering a supportive culture, and navigating resistance with strategic leadership.

By approaching this challenge with diligence, empathy, and a clear vision, you can catalyze a transformation that not only enhances individual productivity but also elevates the performance of the entire organization.

Remember, the practice of mastering time is not a solo journey. Whether you’re an individual contributor, a team leader, or a C-level executive – your investment in teaching and modeling good time practices will reverberate through your organization, leading to a more efficient, happier, and, ultimately, more successful workplace.

FAQ

Read more:

• Time budgets
• Tips and hacks to manage time
• The key to boosting marketing agency profit margins
• What are billable hours and their importance for your revenue?
• The best time management books
• Top time management quotes

The post How to Teach Time Management At Work: Practical Guide appeared first on Timeular.