One of the concepts of business that few people seem to understand is the correlation between maintenance and productivity. Let’s use an obvious example to try and illustrate what this means.

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Micromanagement is bad

Let’s say you have five employees that need constant supervision. This is because you play a huge role in the office and everything needs to be approved by you before it’s pushed to the public. Anything from public statements to social media posts and advertising images needs to be checked by you before they’re released. This is what you call a high-maintenance role. You’re constantly micromanaging things and it’s becoming a bother not only for you but also for your employees.

Autonomy and low maintenance go hand in hand. If you were to trust in your employees or give them the tools and knowledge to be more autonomous, then you’ll spend less time managing employees are more time thinking about the more important things in office such as growing your business or planning new ideas.

It doesn’t stop there

Employees aren’t the only consideration that you have to keep in mind. In fact, many people understand that machines can also be considered high-maintenance and there are ways to keep your assets and equipment managed well enough so that you spend less time fixing or watching over them.

For starters, if you have a warehouse or a large room then consider high bay LED lighting instead of traditional fluorescent lights. Not only do LED lights last longer, they also come with long warranties and are far more power efficient. This means they cost less to operate, break less often and need fewer replacements. Similarly, by teaching your staff how to manage their computers and clean them of junk or excess files, then those computers will last longer, operate faster and ultimately be more productive to your business. While this sounds simple, it’s something that a surprisingly few number of people actually think about.

In short, the less you have to worry about assets and employees, the less money and effort you need to spend on them. This frees up more time for you to do things that are more important such as growing your business or speaking to investors, and it can have a huge impact on the success of your company.

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But don’t forget it requires an investment

At the end of the day, low-maintenance employees and reliable equipment are going to set you back in terms of money. You’ll also need to have faith in your employees if you want to trust them with things such as public relations. However, this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Trust goes both ways, so by displaying a sense of trust in your employees, they’ll feel happier at work. Another positive effect of this is the sense of purpose your staff will have when they have more control over decisions in the office. If you make them feel like valued members of your company, then they are far more likely to be satisfied with their job.