WORKPLACE
SPECIAL Urgent but not IMPORTANT?
If your work day is
characterised by too little time and too many tasks, it's time you got your
priorities right!
The typical work day of a
professional is becoming more complex and demanding by the day . The multitude
and variety of tasks can become overwhelming; many employees are unable to
handle the stress and face a dip in their productivity . Prioritisation skills
become a handy tool in such cases and allow professionals to plan their day in
a manner that not only creates value, but creates the right value.
Why is prioritising of workload
necessary at all? Abhijit Nimgaonkar, India capability & expertise centre head
and office managing principal (Delhi), ZS, answers, “The classic situation
faced by employees today is simultaneous urgent requests from multiple
stakeholders. In the context of a global marketplace (different time zones),
increasing compensation (higher expectations), many communication channels
(request reach and immediacy), prioritising daily , weekly , monthly tasks is
key to effective responsibility management. Working faster is not the solution;
instead, working on the right tasks is essential.“
A broad categorisation of all tasks
is essential to bring prioritisation in motion. Srinivas Ghanagam, head HR,
Freudenberg India, explains, “Being able to distinguish between `urgent' and
`important' tasks is one of the best known ways of dealing with a flood of
emails, projects and presenta tions, the former being less critical than the
latter. The focus should, therefore, be placed on `important' work, which is
usually more strategic in nature; losing focus of the same can be the undoing
of an up and coming executive.“
Manuel D'Souza, director HR, Serco
Global Services, tells us how such measures also allow work-life balance, “Time
spent on planning activities saves sufficient time in execution. On a regular
basis, prioritising not only makes a person more efficient at daily
work-related activities, but also gives them the latitude to focus on their
personal goals. It helps strike the right balance to handle both, their
professional and personal life.“
How can one's prioritisation skills
be honed? Rajiv Naithani, associate VP HR and L&D, GlobalLogic, gives
suggestions:
Make a work list:
Pen down every possible thing you
can do in a day;
Categorise urgent vs important:
See if you have any tasks that need
immediate attention and if not completed soon, will have serious negative
impact on business and people;
Evaluate value importance:
Scan the list and identify highest
value-adding tasks.Determine the amount of efforts expected to be invested on
each activity and set the order accordingly;
Be compliant and flexible:
Don't forget that change is certain
and be prepared for work that will come above your set order of priorities;
Cut the cord:
You probably can't get to everything
on your list. Focus on the priorities that you know you must and can complete
for the day .
Mehul Shah, MD, Collabera, describes
the Pareto principle in the context of prioritisation of workload, “The Pareto
principle states that of the things you do during your day , only 20 per cent
produce 80 per cent of your results. It emphasises on putting more energy in
prioritising your tasks in the first hour at work and focus on the 20 per cent
that matters. When the fire drills of the day begin to sap your time and
something in the schedule has to slip, make sure it's not part of that 20 per
cent.“
Prioritisation also enables
employees to maintain clarity on the ultimate goals of the organisation.
Sailesh Shetty, VP human resources & services, Toyota Kirloskar Motor,
explains, “Organisations should make every employee understand the role he or
she is playing in solving the issues important for the organisation. Employees
should have clarity on what is expected from them; this enables them to
prioritise better. When the employer engages employees every day in analysing
and solving problems, they feel highly motivated.“
Thus, prioritisation can make a lot
of difference in employee efficiency and productivity .
PALAK BHATIA
TOI29JUL15
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