Balancing productivity using Australian corporate gift cards

You know the annoyance when the whole team goes missing in action while you slaved away alone on a group project, and when it is time for appraisals the whole team magically shows up to claim credit? Now take that feeling of injustice, and multiply it by the 10s, that’s what is going to happen if companies do not practice workload balance - a bunch of seething, overworked employees, and another bunch of floating employees eating away at the company’s revenue.

Before we jump straight into our take on balancing productivity using Australian corporate gift cards, let us first dive deeper into workload balance.

What is workload balance and why is it important?

Workload balance is the equal distribution of tasks and responsibilities among team members to ensure optimal productivity and overall team performance.

It is essential in ensuring that the skills and capabilities of each employee are properly utilized and leveraged on; so that no individual is overloaded or underutilized.

It is important because when achieved, workload balance brings about several benefits; but failing to do so can also be detrimental to the company.

 

 

 

Improved efficiency and quality.

When each team member is assigned to a task that is their forte, they are able to focus well without feeling overwhelmed, as opposed to juggling multiple different tasks in one project, which leads to a quicker delivery.

On top of that, assigning them to a task in which they specialize also results in high-quality work.

On the other hand, piling everything on one person’s plate will eventually lead to a drop in efficiency and quality, no matter how competent the worker is. Not only does this affect the employee’s performance, constantly producing subpar work over time will also bring about dissatisfied clients, which can eventually snowball to a bad company reputation, followed by a decline in revenue or profit.

Employee satisfaction.

We all know the relief of working on a project where everyone in the team contributes and does their part well. If each individual is given tasks based on their expertise, the overall quality of work will inevitably turn out well.

Not only does this prevent feelings of resentment and unfairness among the employees, this also helps foster a positive work environment that motivates workers and encourages healthy employee engagement.

However, if this is not taken seriously, the skewed distribution of tasks paints a picture of favoritism in the company and a toxic working environment; resulting in a higher turnover rate which tarnishes the company’s brand as an employer. 

 

How To Incentivise Casual or Temporary Employees

Balancing workload and productivity.

• Planning and Strategizing

As with any project, the initial stage is always important. This allows managers and involved team members to have an overview of the project, chart out the timeline, come up with a gameplan, and delegate the work accordingly.

Here are some things to consider during the planning and strategizing phase.

Evaluate the expertise of each member or - the project involves interdepartmental collaborations - the specializations of each department.

 

This will enable you to leverage on the existing capabilities without having to spend extra time and energy (which are oftentimes limited) training people who are not suitable for the tasks. 

Categorize each task based on its urgency and importance and distribute them accordingly. This helps avoid overloading certain employees with all the highly urgent and important tasks, while the others are floating around with tasks that are not as impactful. 

Keep in mind that an employee or a department would be working on several projects at once, so it also pays to check with them if a certain deadline is drawing near for some groups so that you can assign tasks which are less urgent but highly important,while the rest can work on the urgent matters first.

• Execution

No matter how meticulous a plan is, circumstances can change and unexpected problems may arise. So it is crucial to be transparent and communicate openly about the workload, challenges, and potential bottlenecks during the execution phase. Team leads should create a supportive environment for the members to voice out their concerns and difficulties, and for the team members to chip in with their ideas to solve the issues at hand. 

While we mentioned the advantages of delegating work based on the individuals’ strengths, sometimes the lack of manpower or clashes in schedules may not work in your favour. So leaders should promote knowledge sharing among the team members or appoint certain seniors to help mentor the inexperienced employees.

To encourage this cross-training practice, try compensating mentors with an electronic gift card of their choice. That way, mentors will not only feel appreciated, but they will be motivated to nurture the young talents better. There are swappable corporate gift cards online available, so regardless of the mentors’ interests and hobbies, you can still buy corporate gift cards for the things and services that they enjoy.

• Feedback System

It is also important to stay flexible throughout the project so that the team can adapt well to workload fluctuations, which are common due to unforeseen events. Managers may consider adopting the agile product team structure, whereby the process loops from the feedback stage back to the strategizing phase.

Instead of the traditional linear process of a project, an agile product team management requires constant check-ins with the client and the persons-in-charge to gain insights and ideas for modifications. This system enhances the final product along the way, and also ensures that it meets the needs of the clients. 

Of course, there is no one-size-fits-all system when it comes to effective team management. Our end goal is to achieve workload and productivity balance; regardless of the team structure, it is still imperative that leaders regularly evaluate the effectiveness of the workload distribution and gather feedback from team members to make the necessary workload adjustments.

• Rewarding employees with corporate gift cards

Part of the feedback system is also to let the employees know in what aspects they can do better, and acknowledge the areas in which they are excelling. When a project is completed, the thrill of a good product does feel rewarding, but wouldn’t team leaders want to do a little more to better motivate their members?

Online digital gift cards are a great way to show that you acknowledge and encourage their hard work. Corporate e-gift cards can also help balance productivity as team members will be more motivated to work on the tasks which reduces downtime and floating workers. What’s more, rewarding digital gift cards corporately comes in handy when a huge team consisting of a large number of members is involved because one can simply send the gift cards online upon the completion of the project.

At the end of the day, whether you’re balancing the workload within a team or across multiple teams, sending corporate gift cards for employees is a sure way to make employees feel acknowledged.

Purchase gift cards online with GIFTA

GIFTA is your one-stop gift card shop with a wide selection of digital gift cards in Australia. From Amazon corporate gift cards to corporate branded gift cards, you will definitely find something that will suit your employees.

Bounce your corporate gift card ideas with us - be it corporate prepaid cards for items, corporate service gift cards for experiences, or custom corporate gift cards for a personal touch - and we will be sure to find the best corporate gift cards to match your needs.

Looking to buy corporate gift cards online to balance your group’s productivity and enhance their performances? Contact GIFTA, home to some of the best Australian gift cards online, and we’ll be happy to assist you!