While it’s been 14 years since the cult classic “Office Space” was released, the satire about the perils of paper-pushing continue to resonate with many corporate workers. In an ideal world, the film wouldn’t resonate strongly with so many viewers, because employees wouldn’t feel like they spend so much of their time on administrative tasks when better technology exists. It’s true that mundane tasks are part of virtually every job, but it’s up to a collaborative effort by personnel and employers to balance the time and energy devoted to routine tasks with that spent on innovation, analysis and development. Without diving too deeply into the impending robot war, it’s worth noting that smart technologies can go a long way in improving task management and performance tracking. Implementing more task automation and flexibility can help propel employees to a more productive time in the office, and incentive software can help personnel track their progress, communicate with management and develop a clear path to performance-based rewards. The benefits of automation In many companies, basic administrative tasks take up more time and energy than people realize. Activities such as data entry, invoice processing, filing and securing document approvals can end up having a reverberating effect on company productivity, wrote Jeremy Plint, Canon Business Services Australia assistant general manager, for Dynamic Business. Not only does it hamper the speed at which employees can complete their central tasks, it can end up restricting productivity further by negatively impacting morale. In one recent survey of more than 1,000 Australian office employees conducted by Pureprofile for Canon, 35 percent of respondents stated that smart tools to automate some of these processes would help alleviate the rise of administrative tasks. The dual benefit of automation and centralized, software-based management is that tasks that have to be accomplished still are, while employees are freed up to concentrate more on the core focus of their position. Designing best-in-class incentive programs While task automation and management programs can improve life for everyone in the office at once, incentive software drives productivity on a granular level. The best incentive programs monitor day-to-day performance and assess it in constructive ways, wrote Moneycontrol contributor Jappreet Sethi. With real-time data and goal-based metrics on hand, management can offer employees constructive feedback as well as merit-based pay levels. This two-pronged approach provides immediate tangible rewards as well as shows employees that the organization is committed to fostering long-term development. For business leaders, integrating management and incentive software into daily operations helps identify top employees and areas of improvement. It’s also the best defense against an “Office Space” culture.
