If you are a small business owner, you probably have a team of members that have been with you pretty much since the beginning. However, as much as you might love your staff as they are right now, you might not say no to some improvements, especially if your employees are inexperienced or have gotten too comfortable. Consider the following tips on how you can improve the staff that runs your small business.
Get Rid of Any Dead Weight
It probably hurts to admit it, but there is a good chance that you have at least one staff member that likes to slack off or cut corners in a way that does not benefit anyone, but you have kept them on because you do not want to hurt their feelings. While this is understandable, you will get hurt the most in the long run if you decide to keep them on your payroll, especially when there are plenty of others out there just waiting to take over for the slacker. Because you have probably known this person for a long time, you will need to let them down gently, but be honest with them. They deserve the truth, and you will feel better despite maybe needing some time apart from them for a while afterward.
Get the Funds to Hire Experts
Every business, no matter the size, should have at least a few experts on the payroll. However, experts do not come cheap, and as a small business owner, you might be wondering if you can even afford to consider bringing one expert on full-time. If you do not have enough funds in the bank, you can look at sba 7a loan requirements to see if you qualify for one of those loans and what you have to do during the application process. Since such loans are incredibly versatile and expand to fit a whole spectrum of applicants, there is a good chance that your application would be accepted so you could bring some experts onto your team. Experts lend credibility, and the information they have is priceless, so it makes sense to do anything in your power to get a few onto your team.
Pay Them What They Deserve
No matter how small your business might be, you need to have a spot in your payroll budget that is dedicated to either raises or other rewards if you cannot afford to give everyone a raise every six months to a year. Your team deserves to be treated well, and the least thing you can do is pay them a living wage and do little things for them to make sure they know that you care about them. After all, if your employees are not happy, they are going to be less productive and less inclined to care whether anything gets done. A lack of incentives can also lead to a problem with employee turnover, which is something that can kill a business of any size, but can especially devastate a small business.
Make Meetings Mandatory and Short
If you have staff meetings, you need to re-evaluate how many of those meetings could have been memos or emails, or completely cut out altogether. Meetings tend to cut down on productivity and efficiency, and if they are unnecessary, there is a good chance that your employees want to be there even less than you do. Only have meetings that are absolutely necessary, and make them mandatory so nothing has to be repeated because a staff member decided to ditch the meeting. When you do have meetings, make sure to keep them short and to the point. Otherwise, your employees will not absorb the information that you need them to.
Your staff are one of the most important aspects of your business. Keep these suggestions in mind as you re-evaluate your staff, and make sure to pay attention to their needs so your business can continue to thrive.
