How to staff smart at the office
- Written by News Company
In this age of recession and budget cuts, it is only the smartest executives and managers who are able to keep trading profitably. It takes smart thinking and bravery to grow and it often requires making unpopular decisions. It goes without saying that the best way to grow a business is through driving sales, but when sales are not happening and the shareholders or board are looking for good news, you need to make plans to find it elsewhere. One of the best places that savings can be made, and costs cut is through a review of the human capital employed in the workplace. Smart changes can be made that can dramatically affect the bottom-line. Here are a few potential plays to consider.
Double up
We are not talking retrenchments here but rather a case of rationalisation. Look at opportunities to assign multiple jobs to one person. Concierge companies are a good option in this space. They essentially look to marry the roles of a receptionist with security guard in a two for the price of one play. This is just one example of combining roles. Give the office manager some bookkeeping responsibilities. Get a designer involved in project management. Just look for opportunities. Most employees will relish the opportunity to get paid a bit more and they are nearly always willing to work extra in order to earn more.
Interns
There is nothing quite as handy as an intern or two to bring energy and value to a company. People are desperate to gain work experience and to get the foot in the door with a real company. Without exploiting a desperate young person find a way to create a win-win situation. A stipend to cover basic expenses and the opportunity for them to learn from a well-qualified team. It adds massively to your capacity and ability to produce results while not impacting heavily on the cost-base.
Leave
Increasingly businesses are doing away with fixed leave allocations, preferring instead to offer their staff unlimited leave. This might sound crazy but if the right KPIs are put in place and the expectation is on the deliverables as opposed to simply being at work, then most staff will play the game. What this strategy ensures is that there is never a leave liability built up. When a staff member wants to leave, they serve their notice period and then they are gone. No need to pay them out for all the unpaid leave they have accumulated. It can amount to a massive saving.
Fewer people
Fewer people, working harder, earning more. It is the modern mantra and almost all the staff will buy into it. Ideally this is a strategy that should be implemented without retrenching. Rather pare your staff quota down via natural attrition; or as you grow the client base, avoid growing the staff contingent at the same rate. Be transparent with your staff so they know what to expect in terms of remuneration. What you absolutely want to avoid at all costs is a situation where they feel cheated or exploited and which leads to them doing less.