In the current economic climate, making sure that you and your
business are successful relies heavily on whether you are able to adapt
and move with the times, or are able to take advantage of new
opportunities. Business continuity traditionally is about minimizing
risks, or staff and IT management. But for small businesses or sole
traders, is there not another aspect to be concerned about - YOU? Surely
within the business, ensuring you are performing at your optimum is
just as vital to securing its success? See how you and your business
rate below…
What happens if you’re stressed and unable to work to your potential? What happens if your time management is ineffective? What happens if your personal development is non-existent?
How often have those questions been part of your business continuity conversations? What do the answers tell you about the potential success or failure of your business in difficult times?
The Signs and Symptoms
Coming into the world of small business or sole business ownership opens up a raft of vulnerabilities that were previously looked after by an HR department or middle management. Being subject to regular performance reviews may have been annoying as an employee but is vital to a company’s growth and development. Now that you are running your own business or working for yourself, where do you get your focus from? Who is riding your back making sure you are maximizing potential?
Having support that has your interests and success as its main priority is essential in maintaining your personal business health.
So what are the signs of poor personal business health?
- Stuck in a rut and feel like you have not moved forward for a long time
- Have lost interest in the business; ‘treading water’
- Are overwhelmed with amount of workload
- Feel stressed beyond obvious influential outside factors
- Poor work/life balance
- Realise you would sack yourself if you were the employee!
Or alternatively and equally damaging to your business:
- Feel you are not reaching full potential
- Realise there is more to be achieved but not sure how to do it
Tips and Hints on Good Working Practice
Not only are the following examples from large business practice but from smaller ones as well and for those who work for themselves - it is worthwhile studying these initiatives to see if you are treating yourself as a valued ‘employee’.
Ask yourself: ‘Would I work for me?’
Flexible Working Hours
Along with government legislation, more and more companies are introducing flexible hour options. Not silly with our commuting times and distances the highest in Europe. Allowing staff (and yourself) to work around a different timetable can have surprising results: an increase in efficiency, staff loyalty and motivation!
Home Working
Again another aspect of recent government legislation and increasingly popular amongst leading companies, allowing staff to work from home for a period of the working week again has surprising outcomes: rather than sit and watch tv all day, it is found that home workers are more productive and more motivated.
Health and Wellbeing Initiatives
In an enormously competitive market, companies have to find ways of keeping ahead of the competition with recruitment. Employees are now more likely to interview the company on what they have to offer over and above the standard. Gym membership, in-house counselors, wellbeing advisors, healthy cafeterias with quality and varied diet options, sabbaticals, and ‘personal days’ are all increasingly on recruits’ lists.
Staff Retention
Voucher schemes have always been around, along with weekly or monthly performance rewards and incentives but as above, employees are now looking for a little more from their employer. All of the above ideas and practices serve to show the employee that they are integral to the success of the business. Their health, wellbeing and work happiness are essential to overall good ‘business health’.
Communication and Listening
Found to be one of the top components to a business’ success, according to their employees. When companies allow their staff to be in on new developments, when the company vision is shared- with a tangible personal and intrinsic benefit to the employee, motivation sky rockets, staff loyalty increases and retention and recruitment are no longer an issue. People have gone beyond wanting a job for the money; it now has to provide so much more than a monetary value.
What are you providing your staff to ensure their health and wellbeing and ultimately your business success? What are you doing to ensure your own personal business health and wellbeing and ultimately your business success?
Trackback(0)
TrackBack URI for this entryComments (0)
Subscribe to this comment's feed
