Who works for you? What If Nobody Worked For You? That’s actually how it is. No matter how many employees you have, not one of them works for you – they work for themselves. They’re simply not in it for your reasons; they’re in it for their own. This is the best possible news and at the same time seems like a management paradox. This raised in my mind further questions such as how much you working for them? Having dealt with SMEs for over two decades I would describe one of the biggest issues for any business is that they must put in systems and processes that measure and control what employees do, and quite simply “do they earn their keep?” For many business owners who work closely with their staff, a friendship develops which is a good thing, but also feelings of responsibility to that persons well being and continual income even when it’s detrimental to the business. The new on-line accounting systems and workflow systems that tie into these accounting systems if well implemented can go a long way to keeping a staff member responsible and accountable for the time that they are working for the business. A few rules about employing people that may help 1. Measure everything. Time-sheets must be detailed so that you know what has been done at any time. Generally in Australia most businesses are service orientated and the hours are been on salt to your client. By having detailed time-sheets you can justify all the hours that have been worked to your client can improve your cash flow. You run this business and take the risk to have a profit, so understand for every hour somebody stays in your business they need to earn not only their salary a profit. 2. Choose the time you talk to somebody about work. Five o’clock Friday afternoon with a beer is definitely not a good time to talk to somebody about your expectations. Plan the conversation and then discuss only that conversation you planned. Firstly outline what you want to discuss, give the information and finalise with your expectations. It means you’re employee knows precisely what is required and there is no confusion. 3. Toxic people are toxic to the entire company. In a day and age of endless employment legislation, many businesses are inclined to keep a toxic person working for the business because of fear of unfair dismissal. However the damage they do and how they affect the entire company needs to be considered when you are making a decision about how to remove somebody from working for you. 4. Don’t employ your brother-in-law or a friend. It will end in tears, they will not feel obligated to you they will be angry that you have an ownership position and they don’t and they will run interference in your business behind your back. I make this as a statement of fact because of the experience I have seen over the two decades of being a consultant. I have seen brothers work together, but not the brother-in-law. With my Business Recharge program I like to focus on what resources exist in the business before I would ever ask a business stakeholder to put more money into developing the business. Employees are usually the key resource of any business, and by starting with how time-sheets are written, the culture around this process and developing systems to measure work with a time-sheet is pretty well the first thing I start with. Many businesses usually go from red to black during this process, and the clarity it brings employees often brings new productivity and new efficiencies and new ideas the business needs. It’s quite common for those who appeared to be great employees to resist all the change, it’s also quite common to see those who might have appeared not to be great employees working better and enjoying their work more “now that things are done properly”. By being a third party through Business Recharge changes are easier to implement and with process that cultural issue can be challenged and changed.
Posted on: Mon, 30 Sep 2013 02:31:54 +0000
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