A Framework for Excellent Employee Time Management

Good employee time management does not happen by accident. In fact whilst positive results in a number of areas can occasionally be achieved with little planning, by events beyond your control or by simple good fortune, this is never the case with time management.  Good time management requires conscious and consistent planning.

This is an important principle to understand at the outset.

It is also important to understand that continuing effective time management comes from consistent application of sound practices.  This is not a sprint, but a marathon. Good time management needs to be well embedded, not something that is fleeting. Too often change are made to improve time management, and those changes slip.

If there is one thing that underpins everything else it is simply this.  To achieve good employee time management it is imperative to first identify, for each individual in an organisation, the primary reason for their employment – what they have been employed to achieve.   There may be a few reasons, but they should be small in number.   If the list becomes too long it is likely that “what the person does” has been listed – not what they are expected to achieve.  The considerations and results of this stage must be recorded – written down.

The next step is to prioritize the person’s reasons for employment.  The best person to do this is not the person doing the job – but who they work for – and perhaps even the person their boss works for.  There is seldom any real place in this process for the individual concerned - even if that is alien to the organisation.  It is important that, as before, the result of this process is written down and fully described in terms that are measurable - be that qualitatively or quantitatively.  With few exceptions it will be both.

The individual’s involvement is important at the next stage.  The degree of involvement will depend on how the extent to which the job is replicated by, or involves others.  However one would assume that many aspects will require some close consultation.  This stage should include setting individual goals. Once again this stage needs to be properly recorded.

The third step is to devise and implement a means to monitor performance and achievement – and from there to seek to confirm or modify behaviour.

At this point we have arrived at the point where the person understands their role, their priorities and how success (or lack of it) will be measured.   We have not devised any means to evaluate time management directly.  That comes later.

There are a number of variations on a theme here, but the approach described is fundamentally that which can be followed in almost all circumstances.

Another key component is employee attendance and a time & attendance system may be required.


A Structure for Future Study

Within that framework there are a number of areas that need to be covered in more depth and a series of articles will follow.    It is likely they will be covered in response to enquiries received.

Many of these topics overlap to some degree with at least one of the others – but it is often a good idea to examine each one separately – to come at it from a different angle if you like.   Some topics may be covered in tandem with another.  Others may form the basis of more than one article.

It goes without saying that managers are key to any organisation, yet it is rare that managers are tasked with evaluating and improving the time management skills of their staff in any formal way - even though those skills are fundamental to their success and the success of the organisation.

Managers often enquire when tasks are not completed on time – but often restrict their enquiries to the task in hand, and not whether there is a more fundamental issue with time management.   Often this is because of “time management sensitivities” and the fact that managers are often ill equipped to deal with this.

It is intended that the forthcoming articles will explore these management issues.

To summarise:

Excellent employee time management is built upon a clear understanding of the organisation and the employees place and role within it.  It requires active planning, monitoring and participation of management.   Despite being key to an organisation it is seldom managed directly.

Upcoming articles will explore these areas in more detail.