Every office has time consuming work and will likely have this type of work for the foreseeable future. Someone will need to do/manage this work, but how quickly and effectively they do it can be controlled. In offices that don't optimize efficiency for getting this grunt work done they are costing themselves extra money. If an employee spends 3 hours on a task that could be done in 1 hour with better equipment then you're company is losing money. Don't continue to let these tasks unnecessarily devour valuable employee time.
1. Make mail efficient. Invest in machines such as electric letter openers, addressing systems and folders to make handling snail mail in the office quick. There is no reason to have an employee sitting in the office opening countless numbers of envelopes when it can be done far faster by this machine. Same goes with an addressing machine which can save and print all the addresses you'll ever need making it far faster than even an employee using a preprinted sticker that gets put on the envelope.
2. A lot of people pay lip service to planning, but everything stops there and a real plan is often not written up and really considered. With large projects, upcoming meetings and any other tasks coming up it's important to sit down briefly and come up with a plan with everyone else there if possible. This lets people ask questions and clarify any issues all at once instead of one at a time which reduces the planner's time and ensures everyone is clear on what needs to be done. Having a good plan will reduce how much time people spend getting ready.
3. Have an effective filing system that everyone knows how to manipulate correctly and efficiently. A lot of time can be lost here if people aren't putting files in the right place or don't know where to look for the files they need.
4. Tell people to keep their area clean and clean up after themselves in public spaces. This reduces messes from growing out of control and making it unpleasant for other workers. A messy office is a good way to keep people distracted and reduce efficiency as well.
5. Invest in shipping equipment which can quickly tell you the exact cost of your packages for shipping and print out the labels you will need for them. Don't lose both time and money because you have employees guessing how much each package will cost when it can be easily reduced to a few minutes of work.
1. Make mail efficient. Invest in machines such as electric letter openers, addressing systems and folders to make handling snail mail in the office quick. There is no reason to have an employee sitting in the office opening countless numbers of envelopes when it can be done far faster by this machine. Same goes with an addressing machine which can save and print all the addresses you'll ever need making it far faster than even an employee using a preprinted sticker that gets put on the envelope.
2. A lot of people pay lip service to planning, but everything stops there and a real plan is often not written up and really considered. With large projects, upcoming meetings and any other tasks coming up it's important to sit down briefly and come up with a plan with everyone else there if possible. This lets people ask questions and clarify any issues all at once instead of one at a time which reduces the planner's time and ensures everyone is clear on what needs to be done. Having a good plan will reduce how much time people spend getting ready.
3. Have an effective filing system that everyone knows how to manipulate correctly and efficiently. A lot of time can be lost here if people aren't putting files in the right place or don't know where to look for the files they need.
4. Tell people to keep their area clean and clean up after themselves in public spaces. This reduces messes from growing out of control and making it unpleasant for other workers. A messy office is a good way to keep people distracted and reduce efficiency as well.
5. Invest in shipping equipment which can quickly tell you the exact cost of your packages for shipping and print out the labels you will need for them. Don't lose both time and money because you have employees guessing how much each package will cost when it can be easily reduced to a few minutes of work.