There’s nothing more frustrating than a deadline passing without the project being completed on time. Or a list of tasks that still haven’t been completed. Often, employees struggle to reach targets for valid and understandable reasons, however, if these issues are becoming more and more prevalent and are having a detrimental impact on the progress of your department and specific projects then you could have time thieves on your hands. 

Time theft can occur for a wide range of reasons and as a manager, you must try to understand why this culture of time theft has been allowed to thrive, and most importantly – what you can do to stop it.

Here we’ll discuss the shocking ways time is being stolen from your business. And how you can prevent it.

Poor digital asset organization 

As a successful and growing business, you’ll have hundreds if not thousands of digital assets at your disposal. These assets range from the company logo to your latest marketing information, sales plans and programs, databases, video content, business and product photography, website and blog content, product information, even sensitive employee and customer data… the list goes on. 

If you don’t have a centralized and fully functional storage system in place, then your digital assets can be incredibly difficult to manage and navigate, something which is incredibly time-consuming for those who are trying to locate a specific file or figure out which version of your logo is the latest one. Storing digital assets with bynder.com will release more time than you ever thought possible. DAM software is the best way to manage digital assets efficiently, thanks to its smart search capabilities, version control applications, and safe, secure sharing abilities. Everything your teams need can be found within seconds, streamlining your projects, protecting brand consistency, and giving you back the time that was stolen. 

The internet and social media

Of course, the internet is the foundation for almost all businesses, however, the relationship we have with it isn’t always a productive one. On average we spend over two hours on social media every single day, and that means time thieves are taking full advantage. And it’s not just social media that can cause problems. Access to the internet means online shopping, playing online games, and even gambling during work hours.

It’s not always easy to control but encouraging a culture of trust and accountability in the workplace can help nip this issue in the bud. Regular performance monitoring and open discussions about how certain habits are causing workplace problems could be all it takes to solve the problem. 

And finally, procrastination

Work isn’t always at the forefront of everyone’s mind, and it’s all too easy to become distracted, whether your team is office-based or remote workers. Socializing and chatting, extended and unauthorized lunch breaks, personal phone calls, even reading, or being away from their workstations for a length of time is stealing working hours on your watch. 

Again, setting clear requirements for productivity and targets will encourage team members to pull their weight, especially during group projects. Remember, setting realistic expectations will also improve productivity and reduce procrastination.