5 Reasons Why Time Management is Important in the Workplace
Time management is one of the most important qualities for one to succeed in the workplace. In fact, employers always look at this quality if they intend to hire someone, give them a promotion, or even boot them from the company. Here are five reasons why time management is important for any type of workplace:
1. It keeps employees productive
Probably the most important reason why time management is important; it keeps employees highly productive during the entirety of their shift. The better employees manage their time, the faster they finish work and move on with the other tasks assigned to them. Additionally, employees are also able to finish early, thus avoid working late well at night or in the early hours of the morning.
Time management specifically helps employees manage all of their tasks and work first on the ones that are more urgent. These urgent tasks require the most attention and may need to be completed within a few hours or a few days. Every company wants its employees to be as productive as possible and one way to achieve this is to make sure they practice effective time management skills.
2. It keeps employees focused
Time management doesn’t only help boost productivity but also helps employees stay focused. Although it’s unsurprising for employees to get distracted and have difficulty concentrating every now and then, being distracted in the midst of a heavy workload or during meetings can be detrimental to overall productivity to the said employee. It also affects relationships between colleagues in a negative manner. With this, time management techniques need to be developed.
Employees being constantly distracted is the worst-case scenario for any company. No one will be able to complete their tasks on time which will result in the company failing to meet its financial goals. And if financial goals aren’t met, this will plunge the company into bankruptcy sooner rather than later. Distractions need to be addressed at the soonest time possible. Aside from the human resource management, managers or team leaders should make sure both internal and external distractions are kept to a minimum whether it be through providing one-on-one discussions, counseling or other forms of employee support.
3. It helps forge relationships
Time management doesn’t just help improve productivity but also aids in forging relationships with colleagues. Communication is key in any type of work environment and an efficient worker can converse efficiently with his colleagues if he can properly manage his time. For example, a worker will be regularly in contact with his boss when working on a specific task. If he manages his time well, he can give updates to his boss from time to time and also finish the task within the given time frame.
Essentially, time management only strengthens relationships between workers in the long run. In contrast, individuals who struggle with their time will constantly receive negative feedback and won’t last long in the company. Nobody wants to work with someone who always delays work or finishes it past the given deadline.
4. It helps the company meet its goals
There is a reason why “time-bound” is an essential part of setting SMART goals. If everyone in the company is finishing their work on time, then the company can meet its goals faster whether it be financial goals or expansion goals, among others. No company wants to lag on its goals especially if it operates on limited resources. The more the company lags behind, the more it will waste resources and even go bankrupt in the future. In this case, employee engagement will be negatively affected since most people in the company are not able to meet its goals.
It is the responsibility of the company to hire people who are focused and determined to finish all of their tasks on time. But it also shouldn’t stop them from giving opportunities to workers (through company executives and human resource managers) who want to improve if they have experienced struggles in the past. HR managers can even help develop time management strategies for all people working in the organization. At the end of the day, the company is only as good as its employees so everyone must work together so that a high level of time management is maintained which eventually results in better goal-setting.
5. It builds character
Time management plays an important role in developing character. Every worker will deal with challenges one way or another, whether it be rank-and-file employee or supervisor. Also, it helps people become more optimistic since challenges will always be there and there is no other way to get around it than to develop an optimistic mindset. Some employers are even listing time management as part of their core values.
High-level characters always possess superior time management skills. They don’t just finish their work on time but also have strong relationships with other employees. Aside from that, they also have time to spare to host or join activities with their families and friends. These people may not control every aspect of their lives but they can successfully manage the things they can control.
Final thoughts
With the five items listed above, the importance of time management cannot be underestimated in the workplace. It is helpful not just for small businesses but for large corporations as well. There is no company, no matter the size can achieve anything if none of its employees practice proper time management skills.
