2 Tips to Improve Your Business Processes and Maximize Your Return

Is your budget for coming year just pages of wishful thinking? In many cases, it is. Businesses that are underperforming often believe by planning for bigger profits or greater revenues they are ensuring a better outcome. But a budget alone has no impact on what will happen in the next year within your organization.

Here is what often happens:

Upper management, with the assistance of lower-level managers, sets goals for the year and includes them in the annual budget, expecting their managers will take the actions to achieve the projected results. Unfortunately, that rarely happens. Instead, those managers go back into their departments and continue to do their jobs as they always have.

Without an action plan to help deliver tangible results, nothing will change, and the figures in the budget will not be accurate. Here are suggestions for creating a budget that defines the needed actions with which every employee can identify.

Put the emphasis on action instead of accuracy

Despite your company’s best efforts, your budget can never be more than an educated guess. This makes the term “accurate budget” a contradiction. A budget can be accurate only if everyone in your organization does what is expected of them. But until someone defines what is expected, it likely won’t happen.

That’s why a budget consisting only of revenue and expenses does not show the whole picture. Each budgeted line item should be accompanied by the specific action or actions necessary to make the projections a reality. For instance, if your budget is predicated on 5 percent growth in revenue, there needs to be an accompanying line that explains how many more clients or customers it will take, including the advertising and events that will draw them in, to achieve the growth. Once you have included specifics for your organization, your budget becomes actionable and will be accurate.

Recognize what drives your company’s performance

Your employees need to understand and act upon those things which will produce future financial results. By including these performance drivers in the budget, your workers will have something concrete and actionable from which to work. Having sales or events that reach more potential customers, improving the sales process, changing products or pricing and finding ways to satisfy and retain customers are all examples of drivers that can be budgeted for each of your departments.

Your budget should include those tangible goals that directly influence an increase in revenue and profit while reducing expenses. The goals that are associated with performance drivers give your organization a visible marker from which you can measure your performance against your goals.

Is finding the best talent one of your goals?

Convincing today’s top candidates your company is their best choice is more critical than ever. A culture of fun, fitness, and altruism will go a long way to setting you apart. Stride Staffing’s goal is to build stronger connections between employers and individuals by doing staffing differently. Really. Contact us today  and request a consultation.

Treat Your Employees Like a Muscle Car

You probably know someone who owns or has owned a muscle car. Maybe you’ve had one yourself–that super-cool Shelby Mustang that roars like a lion or the Corvette that takes off like a cheetah.

These are the cars that owners don’t leave out in the rain. They treat them like members of the family. And they give them all the attention they need to keep getting the high performance they expect. It only makes sense; if you want something to perform efficiently, you must give it the proper care.

Your employees are a lot like that muscle car. Their performance is a direct result of the care you give them. Just like a well-tuned engine responds to the accelerator, a happy employee acts to make positive contributions to your company.

Here are a few suggestions for giving your workers the “maintenance” they require:

Stay in touch

If your muscle car developed a misfiring spark plug, you would quickly react with a tune-up. Similarly, when you notice one of your employees is unhappy, respond immediately. If your managers hold regular one-on-one meetings with each team member, they will keep the lines of communication open and catch potential issues early on.

Invest in them

You wouldn’t hesitate to spend money on your muscle car to keep it performing at its peak. Why would you not do the same for good workers? Even though money is not the primary motivator of employees, it can turn into an issue if one of your competitors is offering more than you are or if you have not kept up with inflation with annual increases. Make money a non-issue by paying well enough so they will not be tempted by other offers. Think of it as an investment in high performance.

Create and maintain a dynamic company culture

Give your employees the same TLC you would give your prized car—or your best customer—and you will have a company culture that consists of highly productive, fiercely loyal and mostly happy workers who will contribute to your firm’s goals and increase your bottom line. Businesses that have achieved a positive culture can attract and retain the best talent—simply by treating their people as something to be valued.

Add the best talent to your team

Convincing today’s top candidates your company is their best choice is more critical than ever. A culture of fun, fitness, and altruism will go a long way to setting you apart. Stride Staffing’s goal is to build stronger connections between employers and individuals by doing staffing differently. Really. Contact us today  and request a consultation.

The Dual Role of Human Resources

Human resources today has two distinct functions: help their companies improve their bottom line and meet the needs of the individuals in their businesses. The top H.R. professionals see themselves as business partners who specialize in H.R.

Ideally, they will have attained the necessary business experience within the company before moving into human resources. H.R. managers who can communicate comfortably with business leaders can have a substantial impact on the company’s profitability and the well-being of the workers.

Here are some areas in which H.R. can help meet the needs of employer and employee.

 Define Their Organization’s Purpose

Many companies can’t articulate why they exist. This happens despite evidence that corporate purpose is one of the most powerful tools for affecting growth in all areas of the enterprise. In businesses that struggle to define their purpose, employees tend to believe that the principal reason they work there is for a paycheck.

H.R. can help establish a definition of the organization’s purpose, and then help employees understand how their job aligns with the company’s purpose. Aligning employees with a purpose reduces turnover and costs while increasing productivity and profits.

Communicate your company’s purpose to all candidates

After you have defined and communicated the company’s purpose throughout the organization, use it to ensure you are attracting the kind of candidates who will fit into your culture. You can look for common responses that run parallel with the job requirements and the company’s purpose. Here are some questions you can ask to evaluate their responses:

  • If money were not an issue, what would you do with your life?
  • What motivates you to get out of bed each morning?
  • How do you want to be remembered after you’re gone?
  • What fascinated you as a child?

Make employee strengths your focal point

Try to understand what your candidates and staff do best, and put them in roles where they can use their strengths as much as possible. They should be in a position to use those strengths 80 percent of the time. Then, help them develop their strengths and work around their weaknesses. Strengths usually develop into outstanding performance.

Put the Odds in Your Favor

Convincing today’s top candidates that your company is their best choice is more critical than ever. You are just one of many organizations looking to bring them on board, so you must make sure that your firm stands out from the crowded field. A clearly defined company purpose, initiated by H.R., will go a long way to setting you apart. Stride Staffing’s goal is to build stronger connections between employers and individuals by doing staffing differently. Really. Contact us today to learn more.