Greater Autonomy and Problem Solving to Reduce Stress
There are many systems and procedures which lead to more stress for the people who have to follow them. As a result, these systems and procedures don’t fulfill their purpose, which is to decrease stress rather than increasing it.
A system or procedure is there in order to make things easier for the people practicing it. But in order for this to happen, the system or procedure has to be easy to follow, with a minimum of paperwork and bureaucracy.
Here are certain systems and procedures which will help you to cut down on stress at the office:
Greater Autonomy
If you want to decrease the amount of stress you and your employees experience at work, you have to give them greater autonomy. An employee shouldn’t have to ask five people before doing a certain task. They should be authorized to do those tasks as and when they come up.
This may not apply to each and every task but it does apply to the ones that have to be performed on a regular basis. If something really important and out of the ordinary does come up, then, of course, the employee should consult their supervisors. But this should not be the case with routine tasks.
Problem-Solving
In addition to giving your employees greater autonomy, you should also encourage a problem-solving mindset.
What this means is that when a certain problem crops up that the employee hasn’t come across before, they should think of possible solutions to this problem first, rather than always turning to a supervisor. For example, if the air-conditioning in the office breaks down, the office assistant could think of calling an HVAC company before calling the office manager to let them know about the problem.
Every time an employee comes to you with a problem, encourage them to bring solutions with them as well.
Contact us for more great tips to come up with systems and procedures which will reduce your stress level.
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Get off the Wheel Systems and Procedures for Greater Profits & Reduced Stress
By: Diane Gardner
This Book is for you IF…
You are an accountant, bookkeeper, or tax preparer with employees and one of the following describes you: