20 ways to improve the working environment by reducing waste, building clarity, improving workflow and engaging employees. Next Monday morning won't be such a drag, I promise.

1. The Rules
of the
Workplace
How to
improve the
weekly grind
Flickr/PhilRogers

2. Rule 1: Prioritise the customer’s work
Flickr/MikeCarney

3. Don’t let the
tyranny of the
urgent:
meetings
e-mails
powerpoint
get in the way of
the important
Flickr/MikeCarney

4. Rule 2: Don’t make your customers wait
Flickr/XiaojunDeng

5. Flickr/XiaojunDeng
They will either get mad
or take their money elsewhere
Neither is great for business

6. Rule 3: There is always more work than people
Flickr/AlanO’Rourke

7. Rule 3: There is always more work than people
So fix the work
Flickr/AlanO’Rourke

8. Rule 3: There is always more work than people
Errr... Can’t stop,
too busy
Flickr/AlanO’Rourke

9. Rule 4: Study the work
Flickr/Telmo32

10. If you
understand
the work:
you will be
better at it
and find it
more
interesting
Flickr/Telmo32

11. You might
even get paid
more
Flickr/Telmo32

12. Rule 5: Understand how the work works
Flickr/MzximvsVdB

13. Work works in all sorts of
ways:
• Customers
• Procedures
• Queues
• Systems …
Work is complicated
If you don’t understand it,
why on earth would you
think you can fix it?
Flickr/MzximvsVdB

14. Rule 6: Standardise the work
Flickr/AllenLai

15. If everyone is working differently
what is the best way?
Flickr/AllenLai

16. If there isn’t a standard
how will you know you have improved?
Flickr/AllenLai

17. Rule 7: If the work is important write it down
Flickr/Marin

18. If it isn’t written down
(drawn up,
photographed or
mapped out)
How are your staff
supposed to know what
to do?
Word of mouth?
Flickr/Marin

19. Rule 8: Train your staff
Flickr/DuncanC

20. Flickr/DuncanC
Enough said?

21. Rule 9: Make the work easy
Flickr/ConnectorsDistributionBox

22. Make it:
ü Error proof
ü Tamper proof
ü Omission proof
ü Easy to teach
ü Forgiving
ü Durable
ü User friendly
ü Adaptable
ü Versatile
Or just plain simple
Flickr/ConnectorsDistributionBox

23. Rule 10: Build systems
Flickr/RoyceBair

24. Flickr/RoyceBair
A bad system will beat a good person

25. Flickr/RoyceBair
Every time

26. Rule 11: Streamline the work
Flickr/AnssiKoskinen

27. Flickr/AnssiKoskinen
Don’t hold the
work back in
queues or stocks
or backlogs
Let it flow

28. Rule 12: Find the bottleneck
Flickr/TimGreen

29. Don’t leave it empty
Flickr/TimGreen

30. Rule 13: Clean the workplace
Flickr/Doug

31. Flickr/Doug
A place for everything
and everything in its place

32. Rule 14: Make the work obvious
NationalParkService/Alcatraz

33. NationalParkService/Alcatraz
Somethings,
you just need to…

34. NationalParkService/Alcatraz
know

35. Rule 15: Remove the waste
Flickr/AlanCleaver

36. Flickr/AlanCleaver
It will cost
you in the
end

37. Rule 16: Communicate
Flickr/http://underclassrising.net/

38. Flickr/http://underclassrising.net/
Listen to your customers and employees,
then tell them what is going on

39. Rule 17: Look at the evidence
Flickr/PhilRoeder

40. Flickr/PhilRoeder
The work place is alive
with data, facts and
evidence
You won't fix the work if you
don't use the evidence

41. Rule 18: Talk about the work
Flickr/HamedParham

42. Flickr/HamedParham
Discuss the “what” not the “who”
“Who caused that?” and “What caused that?”
might sound the same, but the answers you will
get are a million miles apart

43. Rule 19: Look After the workforce
Flickr/TobiGaulke

44. Karma
never
loses an
address
Flickr/TobiGaulke

45. Rule 20: Persistence pays
Flickr/NigelGoodman

46. Quick fixes won’t improve anything
Flickr/NigelGoodman

47. Follow the rules and next Monday morning
won’t be such a towering drama
You might even enjoy it
Flickr/KenRowland

48. For more blindingly obvious
observations about work
visit www.squawkpoint.com
Flickr/Todd