How to structure an office routine

© bloomua – 123RF.com

Employees may be resistant to having too much structure at work so keep the routine simple and straightforward. Try to encourage your employees to do the following:

1. Be punctual in the morning. If they arrive a little early, they have the opportunity to review the day ahead while it will also make them feel accomplished.

2. Have a cup of tea or coffee. Before they get into their work, encourage them to take five minutes to take a breather and settle in. They should use this time to let go of their stressful commute and anything else not work-related.

3. Avoid being the morning grump. Everyone has their off days but they should not bring their bad attitudes to work. A single moody employee can affect the entire office's morale.

4. Outline their priorities. Hold a quick meeting for everyone to outline their goals for the day and decide what their priority is, as the first few hours are the best for dealing with the most important issues. Encourage them to keep to-do lists and update them daily by ticking off their accomplishments and adding new actions. This time will also allow you as a leader to connect with your team members and set the day's tone.

5. Make important calls or answer urgent emails first. Emails and calls are more likely to be answered within the first few hours of the day, so do not allow projects to remain incomplete because answers were not found.

6. Take a break! Try to get your employees to have at least two breaks during the day: mid-morning and lunch. These breaks will revitalise them for the rest of the day.

7. Clean up their space. Designate someone to clean up the workspace at the end of the day, tidying up, moving away stray coffee cups, clearing papers... Rotate this role between all employees: not only will the employees become aware of the mess they make but the office will be spick-and-span for the next working day.