Running a company faces many challenges but one standout these days is busyness. How many times have you heard “Sorry to take so long getting back to you, I’ve been so busy” or “it’s been so hectic lately”. No matter if its retail, manufacturing or service related, people are really busy. One reason for this trend is that the economy for most is doing well. This may catch business owners without proper growth plans by surprise resulting in planning during execution. While growth is good, it can lead to lost customers when they can’t get the help they need. Another factor is shortage of employee candidates.
Low unemployment numbers are always desired but can provide challenges for the businesses looking for workers. On boarding to the point where a new employee starts to add value may take several weeks. This may be requiring extra effort and hours by the existing staff resulting in them being overly busy. It can also put the current employees in the position of having to fill in gaps and perform duties for which they have no training and in-turn reducing productivity. Old processes in a new business environment bring the “spinning of wheels” preventing one from ever catching up. How activities have been done in the past may no longer be best for the present with the solution being the elimination of process waste.
Solutions for busyness are not always easy to find but planning for productivity is key. Cloud based solutions can help reduce the need for IT knowledge and the time spent backing up and updating your computer systems. It can also save on capital expenditures. Plan an efficient on boarding program to help new hires to become productive as soon as possible. Not only will they be doing their job sooner but time-consuming mistakes can be avoided. Make sure that the training given to new employees is relevant and is useable right away too. Lastly engage your employees to help define where time is wasted and make suggestions for mitigation. They will also have insight of the best way to train. Solicit their input as planning sessions take place. You might ask, “How can I take time to plan when I’m so busy”? The truth is you can’t afford not to.
