By: Barbara Bowes
Date: March 27, 2010
The Winnipeg Free Press

It seems early, but it's daylight savings again. In other words, our clocks have moved forward to allow us to enjoy more daylight. I imagine those who suffer from the January or February blues and couldn't afford a trip to warmer climates are pretty happy. Yet, no matter how we try to make changes, time is simply time. We can't control it, we can't slow it down or speed it up, and once it is wasted, we can never regain it. All we can do is manage it.

In an earlier article about time management, I wrote about how many employees fail to pay attention to the amount of time they waste at work and how this affects their productivity. Yet not many employees would consider themselves a time thief. Well, the same comment applies to managers. In fact, many managers can make the lives of their employees miserable when it comes to time management.

On one hand, managers with poor time management may talk about the need for higher productivity, yet their own work style prevents or blocks their employees from being productive. In some cases, these managers confuse activity for productivity and accomplishment. In reality, they are simply engaged in pointless busyness. If you asked one of these managers about their productivity, they would quickly provide excuses by saying that they have multiple demands, too many or not enough staff for delegation, or not enough money.

And unfortunately, in some cases, they will blame their staff.

If the truth be known, most of the managers with poor time-management skills have a number of personality and leadership faults that lead to a colossal waste of time and energy and cause great frustration for their employees. Some of these faults or traits include the following:

Indecision -- There is nothing more frustrating than having a boss who isn't sure of himself or herself with respect to making a decision. This leads to one decision being made today and the decision being reversed tomorrow. Often an employee will begin their assignment and upon presenting the results, the manager will state, "That isn't what I wanted." A shock to the employee to say the least.

Procrastination -- I don't know what is worse, indecision or procrastination. I have seen managers procrastinate for five or six months on important decisions, which then caused a crisis and/or a missed opportunity. Employees need to be tasked with work within reasonable time frames. When they ask a question and/or ask for guidance, they need an answer. Procrastinating on a decision until it reaches a crisis puts everyone in a frenzy, work needs to be put aside to deal with the crisis and more than likely, the work is not up to the best standards.

Meetings, meetings, bloody meetings -- This is a common complaint, especially from employees who are called to a meeting but don't really need to be there. Other complaints include too many meetings, meetings that are too long and meetings that aren't even necessary. Not only that, some managers call a meeting and then arrive late without an agenda. An incredible waste of time!

Unrealistic time estimates -- As you might expect, a manager with poor time-management skills will undoubtedly make unrealistic time estimates for work. Quite frequently, this results in an underestimation of the time required to complete a job. Strange that these managers feel there is not enough time to do it right. Not only that, they don't learn from past projects. Once again, pushing employees to speed up their work only leads to substandard work.

Micromanaging -- Micromanagers have a difficult time with delegation and so they stand over the shoulder of their employees every step of the way. Not only is this a great time waster, it irritates the employees and causes frustration that affects personal productivity. As well, the manager is not developing staff. Should the manager be absent, no decisions are made and work grinds to a halt.

Implementation without good planning -- Some managers are so gung ho about implementing a project that they forget to engage in analyzing the problem and effective planning beforehand. They don't examine the risks, the changes required or develop contingency plans. As well, they often don't include the right people when they do their planning. The result is a waste of time as often tasks must be done over again.

Failing to delegate -- Most managers with poor time-management skills frequently fail to effectively delegate work to their employees. Employees need to be given whole jobs that they can complete from start to finish without interruption. The tasks need to be fully explained and be within the skill level of the employee.

Avoiding a "to do" list -- While a paper-based to do list or checklist may seem outdated, there are many managers who are not using their computer day timer and task list to their advantage. Thus, their efforts are scattered and they forget tasks that needed to be done. This creates a frenzied environment, for sure.

Lack of priorities -- Most managers engage in strategic planning for their own department and also participate in planning for the larger organization. However, poor managers fail to look at the planning results again and fail to set specific, measurable goals for their work. Changing priorities every day drives your employees crazy and while there is frenzied activity, not much is accomplished.

Pointless conversations -- While managing by walking around has its merits, stopping to engage in pointless conversations with employees that are more socializing than work is nothing more than a waste of time. Keep your visits and conversations short and to the point if you want those tasks completed.

The issue of wasting time at work is growing as concerns about the lack of productivity continue to arise. Just imagine the impact on an organization if each and every employee wastes at least two hours per day, Yet, while managers struggle with how to help their employees become more efficient and productive, they need to stop and engage in a little bit of self-examination. Managers are often the problem.

Barbara J. Bowes is president of Legacy Bowes Group, a leading Talent Management Solutions firm. She is also host of the weekly Bowes Knows radio show and is the author of several books. Barbara can be reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .