How to Protect Efficiency in Your Business
When you’re running a business, you should always be striving for greater efficiency. If your site and its facilities are streamlined for optimum efficiency, your workers will be more productive, your share prices higher and, in the long run, your profit margins will continue to increase.
An efficient business isn’t only about streamlining your workforce to improve productivity; it’s also important to protect the safety and wellbeing of both staff and customers.
Whether you’re a small family business or a larger corporation, there is always room for a little improvement, so here are our tips for improving efficiency in the workplace.
Prioritise Safety & Wellbeing
It’s essential that you make the safety and wellbeing of your employees your priority. You can’t hope to improve productivity if your workers are unhappy, and if someone should fall ill or have an accident you need to have facilities and expertise on hand to deal with it.
Wellbeing
Being mentally and physically well is a valuable asset among your employees. Healthy and happy workers are less likely to call in sick, and more likely to throw themselves wholeheartedly into their work. Ensure there is plenty of natural light on the premises wherever possible as this is shown to improve performance and mental state.
Make sure your employees’ work clothes are comfortable, that the premises are correctly ventilated and heated and that their desk chairs (if applicable) are designed for comfort and good posture.
Help your employees eat a healthy, balanced diet by providing healthy options such as fruit and mineral water, as this will encourage them to be focussed and have energy all day long.
Every so often, it’s a good idea to arrange team-building and wellness activities for your staff, as this encourages them to strengthen relationships which will benefit their performance and ability to work alongside each other. For clear, science-backed information on employee wellbeing, check out the mental health charity Mind guide on mental health at work.
Safety
According to statistics from HSE, around 600,000 workers suffered non-fatal accidents at work in the years 2016-17. Whether your business has standard office premises, or you operate an industrial environment, the fact is that people fall ill, have accidents and suffer the same health issues they would in work as they would out. It’s important to put safety precautions in place to deal with suche effects.
Looking after your employees’ wellbeing means ensuring that the premises are designed and equipped with all the safety features appropriate for your business. If you operate within an industrial environment, you need to assess how hazardous the work is and install the appropriate safety measures. An essential for any workplace is a First Aid Kit and an appointed person to deal with any medical incidents should they arise. Your employees will feel supported and secure in their work knowing that there is medical help on hand in case of emergencies.
From a business perspective, improving safety precautions protects your share prices. If the safety of your staff and clients is considered at higher risk than that of your competitors, your shares will suffer. Likewise, accidents or deaths at work will negatively impact your reputation and therefore your share prices.
Wondering where First Aid Kits should be located? This varies from one workplace to another, depending on the size and type of business you’re running. Typically, the advice is that you should store your First Aid Kit(s) in a convenient, easily accessible place. It needs to be stored where people can easily reach it in an emergency. If your premises have multiple floors, you’ll need a First Aid Kit on every floor.
The internet is your first stop to browse the comprehensive range of British Standard Compliant First Aid Kits available and invest in your employee’s safety for the good of your company.
Efficiency in the workplace begins with a happy, cohesive team of people who are all working towards a common goal. Whether you’re running a small local business, or you’re in charge of a big warehouse with hundreds of staff, you need to give attention to the individual cogs in order for the large machine to work efficiently – and that begins with securing the safety of your employees.
