All of us have to attend meetings at one point or another, but do they really help? And what about those weekly reports we have to fill out? Do they really track progress or do they get in people's way of being fully productive on the job? Does your company have any processes that seem to slow people down?



For example, I once worked at a company that made you get three signatures to get supplies from the company supply cabinet. Before you could get five pads of paper and a box of pens, you had to fill out a request form your supervisor had to approve, and then you handed it off to an administrative assistant, who then needed another supervisor's signature before you could get your paper and pens.

And if they were out of supplies, it took another level of signatures to re-order them, which meant it took over a week to get what you needed to get the job done, when you could've gone to Staples yourself and just expensed your supplies on a voucher, which is what people ultimately did!

Finally, after many people complained about the administrative nightmare of managing supplies, you were empowered to order your own supplies using the company's corporate account at the local vendor. And the vendor sent in a report to our accounting team who looked for signs of abuse.

Things that waste people's time at work can be frustrating. As a manager, it's important to be open to creating the best work experience possible, so the best thing you can do is let your employees tell you about the things that truly squander the valuable minutes of their workday.

Here is what you can do to start saving time (and money) on the job and keep your employees happy:

The Time Wasting Committee:

At your next meeting, bring in a set of index cards and a container into the room.

Have your employees fill out one thing on each card that wastes time.

This could include meetings, reports that no one really reads, or any processes that get in the way of people's productivity.

Have them put their cards in the box.

Pull out all the cards and then sort them, making sure you keep track of your duplicates.

Starting with the time waster that shows up the most often, work with your team to create solutions to save time.

For example, if they say meetings without agendas are a waste of time, make it a policy that no one can hold a meeting without sending out an agenda first. If they say weekly meetings have no value, you may want to ask them about bi-weekly meetings instead.

The key to this exercise is to encourage your employees to be open and honest about those things that waste their time, and to find ways to eliminate those dreaded time wasters.

Instead of making this a one-time exercise, you could take this process a step further and have a Time Waster Suggestion Box and form a committee which is responsible for periodically collecting the time wasters and coming up with creative solutions.

And when you see improved results, make sure you provide recognition for all the improvements made once you see success from your Time Wasting Committee!