smallbusiness.co.uk: Helping your business think big

A recent survey has found that poor teamwork causes owners of small firms in Britain to stay late in the office, wastes valuable time and adds to employee dissatisfaction. But all this could be avoided by encouraging employees to work more effectively as a team.

The research, conducted by Microsoft UK, found that 37 per cent of the 2,200 British people taking part in the study believed that one of the main causes of time-wasting within the workplace was due to a lack of communication between team members.

Clare Barclay, director of small business, Microsoft UK, commented, ‘individual team members are hired for the value they can add to the business – but don’t neglect the team as a whole. An efficient, capable business is a team effort and employers should put procedures in place that help and encourage employees to work together for the benefit of the whole company.’

Here are some top tips on how businesses can help their employees work better together:

Match tasks to skills
It’s good sense to match your employees’ key skills to their role. You might recruit someone for their skills in one area, but if they show potential in another, offer them the opportunity to get involved in that part of the business. They will appreciate the opportunity to succeed and this will motivate them and the rest of the team.

Identify role and responsibilities
Once you’ve matched your employees to their roles it’s important they see the bigger picture. To get the best out of everyone, they should understand how their job impacts the success of the team.

Integration across job roles
There needs to be a level of ‘role integration’ within the business. For example, if your accountant needs to query an invoice, they must understand how the business works just as much as the employee needs to understand the accountant's role. Things will flow much more smoothly if everyone is aware of their own specific tasks and those of others. Perhaps take some time with your team to discuss what they do day-to-day and where they could support each other.

Ensure information is accessible to all
To help your employees work together, it’s essential that everyone has access to important customer details. Shared information is important, as it will reduce time spent by two or more people on the same task.

Communication is key
Communication between employees at all levels is essential for effective teamwork. Small business owners should look into which tools are best for their company to achieve this. For example, if your employees are always on the move, technology exists to allow you to stay in contact, or even reply to emails when they’re not in the office.