One of the primary sources for your income is your day job and this is where office productivity comes in. The idea is that the more productive you are in the office, the better your pay becomes and you get to put in more into your budget. This does not overlook the fact that being productive in your workplace also puts you in a path of professional and even career development.
There is no question that is also contributes to job security because the better you are at your job, the harder it would be for people running the place to let you go. On the contrary, they would see your value in the workplace and find ways to make you feel appreciated and stay with the company. This can come from commendations to job promotions which would have pay increases along the way.
The recent graduates even has it better than the previous years because CNBC.com shared that companies are hiring more this year. Businesses are taking in 5% more employees this year compared to last year. This means that there will be more jobs this year available not only to fresh graduates but even for those looking to get a new one.
With all these, it is not surprising to find yourself with an office job and trying to make your way up. You might now be starting to think about office productivity and how to be an asset to the company. You want to play a big part in the success of whatever project or client that comes your way so you do everything you can to make that happen.
Office productivity that improves finances
As you look at being the best in the office to also bring in the funds you need at home, here are a few pointers you might want to consider. These can be very helpful when you are trying to make your mark in the office or just simply being the best at what you do.
- Understand your KPI. Your KPI or Key Performance Indicator should serve as your benchmark with the job output you are doing. Think of this as the barest minimum you need to accomplish to function at position in the company. There are times where you might have the same roles and responsibilities with other co-workers. This is common when you are still working your way up the office hierarchy. You need to have a clear understanding of what is expected of you in the office. This is usually the basis by which your performance is assessed. Study what your KPI is and make sure that you are able to deliver in these areas.
- Look at self development. One of your financial resolution when the year started was to be a better version of yourself. You might have promised to take up extra lessons, seminars or even a crash course on a subject matter you can use in the office. If you haven’t done these then you should know how these adds to your value in the office or in your chosen industry in general. As you increase your knowledge about your craft, the better you get at your job and your office productivity increase as well. Not to mention that you also increase your value in your industry which you will feel when you decide to look for another job.
- Manage office politics. Jay Parikh of Facebook told HBR.org how a company’s ability to move forward can actually be hindered by the employee’s personal motivation. This personal motivation can sometimes be the root cause of office politics. This is something you need to steer clear of when you want to be productive in the office. It is easier said than done but at the very least, do not participate in it. You might hear things in and around the office and people would try to suck you into their beliefs and discussions about someone else. What you can do is focus on what you need to accomplish and stay out of office politics.
- Know when you need help. There will be times when you cannot accomplish one task on your own and you need the help of your officemates. You need to look past your ego and prioritize the job at hand. Sometimes, you might overlook the fact that teamwork exists and that you are just too eager to prove yourself and accomplish the task alone. There are times when you can finish tasks by your own but more often than not, you would need to work together with other people in the office. This also goes without saying that there will be times where your help will also be needed by other people in the office.
- Do not be afraid to ask questions. Asking is not a sign of weakness and in fact, it goes to show that you are wise enough to admit your shortcomings. You want to learn and be of value to keep your office productivity up so you ask questions when you do not understand a certain topic. Or better yet, research and talk to other people in the office for feedback. This way, you learn about it in your own and you manage the time of other people as well.
Do not be that employee
Now that you have an idea on some of the things you can do to be better in the office workplace to help you with your finances, here are a few things you need to avoid. There are some employees that you do not want to get involved in and the last thing you want is being that one employee everyone tries to avoid. Here are some warning signs you need to look out for.
- Talking about other people behind their backs. This is considered gossiping and does not really help anyone especially your office productivity. You are just wasting time and affecting professional inter-office relationships. Your time is better used in accomplishing tasks at hand or improving your work. If you have issues with people, it is always better to talk to them face to face and get answers rather than talking about then with other people behind their backs.
- Not being a team player. It is important to be a team player but you need to remember that there is always a limit even with this. One employment tip you need to remember is that being a team player does not equate to being too friendly especially with management. This can get in the way of professionalism and open up a lot of issues in the office.
- Mistaking a half-baked work for a shortcut. It is great to find a shortcut to some long methods and at times, this is what technology brings to the table. But you should not mistake productivity with half-baked effort just to shorten a process. This can definitely cut the time you need to get things done but the end result is not what you would expect. It will be sub-standard and can cause problems which can actually take a longer time to resolve compared to if you just did it the right way.
Office productivity can mean financial security and when you start looking at your goals in life, this becomes a big issue. You need to make sure that as you enjoy your job, you are also able to prove yourself and keep your productivity and output high to be able to bring in more to your budget.