Work Instructions Should Make Work Easier Not Harder
Most businesses have work instructions that employees either ignore or struggle to follow.
They are either too long too vague or buried in a folder no one remembers exists.
If work instructions are not clear accessible and actually useful people will not use them.
Instead of improving efficiency bad instructions slow everything down.
Mistakes happen training takes longer and employees spend time asking for help instead of getting things done.
Why Bad Work Instructions Waste Time and Money
Every time an employee asks for clarification on a process that should be documented it wastes time.
If five employees spend 10 minutes each looking for answers every day that is 50 minutes wasted daily.
Over a year that is 200+ hours lost just because work instructions were not written properly.
Multiply that across a whole team or company and the cost is massive.
Businesses do not realise how much inefficiency bad documentation creates until they fix it.
What Makes Work Instructions Actually Work
The best work instructions are: ✅ Short and to the point – No one wants to read a novel before starting a task
✅ Clear and structured – Steps need to be simple logical and easy to follow
✅ Visual when possible – People process images faster than words so diagrams or screenshots help
✅ Accessible – If employees cannot find them in under 10 seconds they will not use them
✅ Up to date – Outdated instructions cause mistakes and confusion
A good rule of thumb: if someone has to ask a question after reading an instruction it needs to be clearer.
How to Write Work Instructions That People Will Use
The key is writing from the perspective of the person doing the task not the person creating the document.
Many businesses make the mistake of writing work instructions based on what they think makes sense instead of what their employees actually need.
Here is how to do it right: 🟢 Start with the end goal – What should the employee achieve by following these steps?
🟢 Use plain language – Avoid technical jargon unless it is necessary
🟢 Break steps into small chunks – Each step should be a single clear action
🟢 Use bullet points or numbered lists – Walls of text are overwhelming and hard to skim
🟢 Add screenshots or diagrams – Visuals speed up understanding and reduce mistakes
A simple test: Hand your work instructions to someone unfamiliar with the process and see if they can complete it without asking for help.
If they struggle something needs to be rewritten.
The Cost of Ignoring Bad Work Instructions
Many businesses think their work instructions are fine until something goes wrong.
An employee skips a step and a machine breaks down.
A process is followed incorrectly and a product defect occurs.
A new hire takes weeks to learn a task that should take days.
All of these issues come back to the same problem—bad documentation.
Fixing work instructions before problems happen saves time money and frustration.
Why Businesses Are Moving to Online Work Instructions
Traditional work instructions stored in PDFs or printed manuals are outdated the second a process changes.
Employees need work instructions that are: 📲 Accessible anywhere – On any device at any time
🔄 Easy to update – No one wants to dig through old versions to find the right one
📌 Searchable – If employees cannot find it instantly they will not use it
Companies that move their work instructions to online platforms see faster training times fewer errors and more efficient teams.
Takeaway
Work instructions should make life easier not harder.
If employees are not using them it is not their fault—it is a documentation problem.
By making instructions clear concise visual and easy to access businesses can reduce mistakes save time and improve efficiency.
Fix your work instructions now before they cost you even more.
