may2021 - 22

FEATURE
What to Know When Measuring Your
Team's Productivity
By Shahram Zarshenas
THANKS TO THE dawn of the digital era and modern technology, the business
landscape continues to shape and shift in unprecedented ways. Entrepreneurs
across industries leverage various tools to upgrade their practices
and systems, ensuring that progress and productivity are always prioritized.
With the development of tools and platforms
come the smartphones and social media world,
however, which has effectively blended personal
and professional lives. Drawing the line has
become rather hard to do, and unfortunately,
this is causing a problem regarding employee
productivity.
And now comes the new challenge-how can
employers effectively measure their team's productivity
daily? While micromanaging is believed
to be the best way to do so, it's important to
remember that your employees are people too,
and in the accounting landscape where talent
is needed, you'll want to keep them as happy
as possible.
To help ensure you get the most out of your
productivity measuring plans, here's a quick and
easy guide to follow:
UNDERSTAND THE PEOPLE:
THINGS TO REMEMBER
* Instead of measuring hours and days, measure
the tasks at hand
In a highly digital environment, the lines
between personal and professional lives are
steadily becoming blurred. Overlapping is a
reality all employers must face, and the age of
micromanaging must come to an end. Forcing
your employees to stay away from their personal
lives should be out of the question and instead,
focus on the tasks. If the work gets done, then
you have nothing to worry about.
So long as your accounting workflow is honored,
papers are worked on, and clients are happy,
you will have had a productive day. Break down
the work into tasks, and assign them accordingly
until all projects are completed. From there, you
can get rid of anything that could cause further
stress and issues.
* Allow your team's results to tell the story of
productivity
Anchoring on the first item, it's best to focus
on the results. It's the most important element
that indicates employee productivity. Make
sure to constantly ask for feedback among your
employees, but never forget about your clients.
Attain as much information as you can
regarding the customer journey they've experienced.
What works will continue to work, and
as long as you're seeing results that keep the
company thriving, you're working with the right
people.
* Never lose sight of your company goals
Measuring your team's productivity is crucial,
but it's important to sit back and remember-
what are you trying to accomplish? Keep your
goals in mind, as this is how you ensure that
the entire team is focused. If you're hitting goal
after goal, and objective after objective, you're
on the right track.
WHERE TOOLS COME IN
When it comes down to actual measurements,
however, you may want to invest in the right
tools. A tracking system allows you to keep a
tab on your employee's productivity levels, all
without trying to seem intrusive. Here, you'll
be able to use a system that tracks tasks and
projects, and not your employee's day. In doing
so, you also see what aspects of the work take
too much time, and how you can further improve
the practices in place.
INVEST IN THE BEST CPA PRACTICE
MANAGEMENT TOOLS
Your ability to measure employee productivity
in the workplace is critical to your firm's success,
but remember that how they spend their
time doesn't always guarantee success. The
best way to see productivity is by looking at the
results-down to the last detail. If it's promising,
with satisfied clients and organized files, you're
on the right track.
If you're on the hunt for the best CPA firm
workflow management platform, look for a
user-friendly and cloud-based solution designed
to help you manage your people, scale your
accounting firm, and hit your deadlines. ■
22 MAY 2021 ■ www.CPAPracticeAdvisor.com
http://www.CPAPracticeAdvisor.com
may2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of may2021
