3 Time Saving Tips for Workforce Management

If your job involves workforce management, managing your time (as well as your people) is one of the most important parts of the job.

We have daily meetings with a lot of leaders within service businesses. And we noticed a common thread: all of them are in search of one common thing. TIME. So we set about researching the best ways to save time when it comes to workforce management.

Set a strict, simple schedule

And we are not just talking about how you schedule your crews, but how you schedule yourself.

One thing we keep noticing in productivity articles is how often we are being told to stop multitasking. The articles are endless! Time, Fortune, and Health.com all agree that multitasking is making us considerably less effective at what we are trying to do. But the funny part of this problem? We’ve become hardwired to multitask… in spite of our efforts to avoid it. Think about it: your phone is your alarm clock and your calendar. If you check your email before you leave the house you are more likely to be prepared for the day. If you can feed your kids while also doing sit-ups you are a superhero. Of course, it’s never as easy as that in practice.

Try setting a strict, single-task schedule for yourself. It might look something like this:

• Wake up – preferably to an alarm clock and not your phone. Minimize temptation where you can.
• Eat breakfast. Just eat. Don’t answer emails. You can read the news if you must.
• Take your kids to school.
• Go to work.

Sound crazy? Even Elon Musk breaks his day into five minute chunks.

There are many things that are in your scope of responsibility in workforce management. Setting strict schedules gives you a chance to mentally prepare for your day.

Looking to save time with the way you manage your business and crews? Book a free, private demo of Vonigo and we will show you how the right software tools can work for your business. 

Don’t Check Your Email

Well, check it eventually. But be mindful about the kind of attention you are lavishing upon your inbox. Do you have a habit of waiting for new emails to arrive, pouncing on them like a hungry tiger? Do you proclaim to “work from your inbox”?

Emails scratch an “immediate” itch: you feel like you’ve accomplished something because you are watching a number diminish. But are you really contributing to your business and making the most of your time?

Instead of spending the whole day checking your inbox count, try restricting your email time to two separate sessions. In the morning, spend 30 minutes reviewing anything that needs urgent attention: changing appointments, time-sensitive contracts, that sort of thing. Then, close your email entirely. Pay attention to other tasks around the office: reviewing stats, checking in with team members or new hires. Go for lunch with an employee you haven’t checked in on in a while.

Catch up on your numbers from the past few months. Later in the afternoon, set aside another hour to do a deep dive on any emails that require a more lengthy response. And then? Close your email again. We think you’ll be surprised at how much more you will get done.

The Key to Workforce Management: Delegate!

After years of bootstrapping and being employee number one, you get used to feeling like the only one who can solve problems. But as your team grows and your workforce management responsibilities change, so too must the ways in which you work.

Getting to the next level often starts with creating a “stop doing” list rather than a “to do” list so attention and time can be focused “on” your business rather than getting caught up “in” it. The endless stream of urgent busy work feels great to complete, and you do it well, but it’s that same work that could be holding your business back.

Keeping an eye on costs is always crucial in any business but a willingness to take what may seem like one step back to move forward can make all the difference. If you hire other great people to help clear your plate and start checking off your “stop doing list” the results may surprise you.

If your workday is feeling scattered, remember it’s not too late to create some space. Focus your time on the things that make the biggest difference, and leverage the talent on your team to make everyone more productive.

Want to know how you can use software tools to more efficiently manage your business and crews? Book a free, private demo of Vonigo and we will show you how it can work for your business.