Jovan R. Chapman, Clinovators CEO & Entrepreneur looking to skip across the atmosphere. LinkedIn.
I was meeting with a good friend who happens to own a well-known franchise to discuss some best practices in business. The meeting ended up being extremely generative and helped me formulate a new principle that I have coined, The Honey Principle.
This principle was put together as we discussed employee priorities and productivity and how business owners and managers can improve labor costs related to task-oriented workflows. The name of the principle, which I will get into more detail later, comes from an employee who had to deal with a box of honey packages where one package had broken and spilled onto all the others.
Actions To Improve Labor Costs
Before I get into the foundations of The Honey Principle, here are some of the general actions you can take when looking to improve labor costs.
1. Set clear goals.
Define specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound (SMART) goals for time savings. For example, aim to reduce the time spent on a particular process by 20% within the next three months.
2. Identify areas for improvement.
Conduct a thorough analysis of your business operations to identify processes or tasks that consume a significant amount of time. Look for bottlenecks, redundancies and inefficiencies that can be streamlined.
3. Prioritize tasks.
Identify high-value tasks that directly contribute to your business’ success. Focus on activities that generate revenue, enhance customer satisfaction or improve overall productivity. Eliminate or delegate low-value tasks that consume time without adding significant value.
4. Promote a culture of efficiency.
Foster a culture that values efficiency and time savings. Encourage employees to suggest ideas for improving processes and reward innovative solutions that save time. Lead by example and demonstrate the importance of time management through your own actions.
5. Automate repetitive tasks.
Leverage technology to automate repetitive and time-consuming tasks. To do this, you can use software solutions, tools and systems that can handle routine processes such as data entry, invoicing, inventory management and report generation. This frees up time for your employees to focus on more strategic and value-added activities.
6. Streamline communication channels.
Evaluate your communication channels and ensure they are efficient. Encourage the use of instant messaging tools, project management software and collaborative platforms to facilitate quick and effective communication. Look to minimize unnecessary meetings and adopt streamlined decision-making processes.
7. Implement time management techniques.
Train your employees on effective time management techniques such as prioritization, task batching and the Pomodoro Technique. Encourage them to set clear goals, break tasks into smaller chunks and allocate dedicated time slots for focused work. You can help them do this by providing them with tools like calendars, to-do lists and productivity apps to help manage their time effectively.
8. Aspire for continuous improvement.
Regularly review and evaluate your time savings initiatives. Measure the impact of the implemented strategies against your predefined goals, and seek feedback from employees and customers to identify further areas for improvement. You can also stay updated with emerging technologies and industry best practices to continue optimizing your time savings efforts.
Now that we have reviewed best practices related to productivity, let’s discuss the foundations of The Honey Principle.
Eliminating Unnecessary Tasks To Boost Productivity
Occasionally, while prioritizing tasks, employees tend to choose or complete assignments that contribute little value to the overall workday. This situation became evident when an employee stumbled upon a box of honey packages, leading to one package opening and spilling over the others. What a sticky predicament.
Consequently, the employee had to spend a substantial amount of time, around two hours or more, cleaning each package (bear in mind that there were approximately 200 condiment-sized honey packages per box). Here lies the problem: The employee believed that by cleaning each package, they were saving the company money. However, upon further investigation, it became apparent that the employee was simply seeking tasks outside of their primary responsibilities, prioritized duties or support of team members.
Despite the fact that a box of honey packages cost less than $20, the employee’s efforts in spending significant time on a task that saved the company a mere $20 in supply costs ultimately increased the company’s labor expenses by approximately 30%. This time could have been better spent by discarding the box and engaging in more value-added work.
Reflecting On Your Own Honey Box Situation
It is crucial to reflect on the application of the Honey Principle in various areas. Are there any unnecessary tasks within your business that fail to add value, waste time or merely create an illusion of busyness? It is likely that most of us encounter this predicament on a daily basis.
For instance, consider the time spent on emails. Often, we find ourselves entangled in unproductive email threads when we could be focusing on more valuable tasks. Personally, I have experienced situations where I dedicated time to cleaning out my inbox instead of handling urgent requests or addressing simpler queries first.
The Honey Principle helped me realize how essential it is to contemplate which tasks can be eliminated to save both yourself and your team valuable time, enabling you to focus on more meaningful work. By eliminating busy, distracting and time-consuming tasks, you can effectively implement the Honey Principle and witness a significant boost in productivity.
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