“Problems are not stop signs; they are guidelines.” —Robert Schuller
The obstacles and challenges business owners have faced during the pandemic is nothing we were expecting. The journey has been quite different for all of us. Some have lost everything, others have thrived (depending on your type of business) and then there are those of us hanging on for dear life, not quite out of the race yet but not sure if we are going to make it either.
The backlog of product in the supply chain, and the lack of skilled workers to create and deliver our products is undeniable. Shelves are bare, we are waiting longer and paying noticeably more for the products and services that we rely on. What can we do? It is out of our control, right?
Some of it is, yes… but not all of it. It is time to take a hard look at your company’s processes.
One way to streamline business processes (and possibly create more jobs in the community) is by optimizing your employee’s skill sets where they are most valuable. For example, it may pay to create an entry level position in your organization to take over tasks that will give your more experienced and higher paid personnel more time to leverage and become more productive. Having the new hires, learn from your is also a great way to expand your workforce and grow from within.
Also outsourcing positions that do not require full time attention, like bookkeeping (hint hint) or other professional services, leaves time for your in-house staff to focus on other duties and better productivity.
Now that you have restructured your workforce, develop an internal process and assign duties that invites collaboration and communication between employees and departments, eliminating the siloes that we so easily slip into. It takes a village they say… working together with a clear process of workflow will help alleviate bottlenecks, miscommunication and manage expectations of your employees, customers, and vendors.
Management is key! Like an orchestra needs a conductor, a business needs to be properly managed. You have gone thru a lot to get here, make sure it is working. Fix what isn’t and don’t be afraid to try new things. Try asking your employees what they think would make it run smoother.
With efficiency comes profit, and profit will help you afford to invest back into your company and your employees. Remember, you can’t do it without them! Happy employees relate to happy customers, happy customers turn into more sales and that is a cycle we can all get behind.