The retail environment is extremely fast paced, which means that you as a manager have a lot to keep up with. Do you find that there’s never enough time to accomplish all you need to? If so, these seven time saving tips should help:
Dedicate Phone Time.
It’s easy to get bogged down in unexpected phone calls, especially when you don’t set any boundaries in that regard. Dedicate a specific time of day (first thing in the morning, for example) to make important phone calls, and then walk away from the phone and focus on your day’s priorities.
Prioritize.
As a manager in the retail environment, you must wear many hats. This means that you must be very organized when it comes to mastering your task list. Take time to write down every single task you must accomplish, in both the short and long term, and then order those tasks in terms of priority.
Delegate.
Once you have your prioritized list, you know what you will need to focus on, one step at a time, in order to be optimally productive. Additionally, you will have a very clear view of which tasks only you can handle, and which you can hand off to a competent employee. Delegation is integral to effective management, and a great time saver.
Scheduling Software.
Put the latest technology to work on more menial tasks for you, so that you can focus on actually managing your employees. Scheduling software automates a number of tasks, from clocking employee hours and breaks to distributing schedule changes, and it can save you a tremendous amount of time and effort. Look to see which ones have more features you can actually use.
Hold Employees Accountable.
Unreliable employees can be a serious time zapper, when you consider having to find ways to cover last minute shift changes when they call in, or redoing work that they did inadequately the first time around. While employee discipline can be stressful, you must be a stickler about holding employees accountable, in order to nip their unaccountability in the bud and save yourself a lot of time in the long run.
Reassess.
Don’t make the mistake of settling into a pattern without question. What is most productive today might not be tomorrow. Reassess your priorities and methods regularly to ensure they are the most effective.
Train your Employees Well.
Yes, this will take some time, but it will also save you a lot of time if you look at the big picture. Your employees should be able to work and be productive autonomously, and the effort you put into making that happen will pay off in a major way when you don’t have to stand over your employees’ shoulders while they are working.
As a retail manager, you have your work cut out for you. Save yourself some time (and headache) by following these time management tips.
Image credit: Fan of Retail