Keeping costs under control - increasing efficiency & productivity
Optimise employee scheduling through technology to reduce administration time. This includes clock in/out, changing shifts, filling in roster gaps, employee changes through sick and annual leave etc etc with a laser sharp focus on optimizing labour (not too many or too few).
Automate Repetitive tasks - Some tasks, like manually entering hours or customer information, can be automated so workers can spend their time on more complex work that needs the human touch. The less time workers spend on these administrative and operational tasks, the more productive they can be, driving down unnecessary costs.
Make training new staff faster. Have a robust formal structure and processes in place to induct new staff including training them. Some industries naturally have a high churn of employees – it is these businesses that particularly need to focus on efficient induction of staff. Implement smart software systems and remove manual tasks.
Have key staff that you don’t want to lose? Post-Covid employees want different things to pre-Covid employees. Try view this as a positive thing and embrace the change. Flexibility and allowing them to put their family or life first are now key drivers to staff retention. This can be difficult to offer in the service and retail industries, as shops and restaurants have set hours of operation. However, through utilising technology to allow your team to organise their shifts as an example, can take the stress off the Employer from always having to deal with the problems and gaps. Offer flexibility but ensure that the team play a critical role in making it work.
Value your employees, focus on a diverse and inclusive environment and create a safe workplace.
Celebrate the successes but equally talk about the challenges with your team. As an Employer, the stress placed on you can be intense. The effects of Covid, climate change and cost of living increases (amongst others), is playing a huge part in the increased stress business owners are feeling right now. Don’t be afraid to talk to your team about how you are feeling. This is not a weakness and if you show a genuine openness to seek their feedback and suggestions, you can increase staff loyalty. Denial, blame and excuses is not healthy for anyone.
Some key things to do when feeling overwhelmed are:
Don’t be afraid to ask for help
Look after yourself – don’t let yourself get to a point when you become unwell or having nothing left in the tank to give. Ignore the noise, be unapologetic for looking after yourself.
Do healthy things – whether that be eating better, taking time out for yourself, walking, biking or reading your favourite book - it all helps.
Don’t forget to delegate. Remember no one will ever do as good a job as you (which is why you are the business owner!), but you may well find trying to do everything means you don’t do anything very well. Let them step up, they will surprise you as to how capable they can actually be! You may even find that by spreading the load and allowing more focus time on tasks, means that every part of your business performs better, even when you are not wearing every hat in it. We encourage you to learn about the 10 hats structure in a business. How many hats are you trying to wear?
Give our Director, Annika Dickey a call if you want assistance with getting your business operating at optimal levels.