Happy New Year! 2018 is now a thing of the past. We are looking to the future and making 2019 the most productive business year yet. It is time to let go of the old and begin with the new. That means get rid of ideas, concepts, and strategies that are not working for you and find those new and innovative ideas that will help you and your business be successful in 2019. Be prepared to think outside of the box. Be flexible and accessible to change. When making your business resolutions, think about ways to increase productivity and then act on those ideas. Here are three resolutions that you can use to help get you started on a successful, productive 2019.
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Analyze Productive Behavior Beyond the Numbers
Businesses often conduct a year-end review of the numbers: profits and losses. This is necessary to see how the business fared financially. However, it is a very narrow outlook of the business. Numbers will help you determine if you can keep the doors open and pay your bills. However, now that the new year is upon us, it is time to analyze beyond the numbers to determine what has worked, what is not going to ever work, and what ideas can work with the right tweaks. In other words, take a look at the divisions within the big picture to see how you got to those numbers and what you can do to make those numbers grow in the upcoming year. Once you have conducted that analysis, it is time to incorporate the second resolution for your business.
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Include Your Employees for Productivity
In the 20th century, businesses operated with a hierarchy that was clearly defined. There was management, middle management, associates, and then support staff. The further you were down the chain of command the less input you had in the general operations of business and the less knowledge you had as to how the business actually operated. We are now nineteen years into the 21st century and business is starting to look quite different from this outdated model. There are more open offices in the country, wherein employees are working side by side with their supervisors and even upper management. This new model means that it is becoming acceptable to include the associates and support staff in the discussion about the changes that will be taking place over the next year. Discuss with your staff the business analysis and get their ideas of what they think will help the company grow or how to tweak those items that are almost perfect. Work as a cohesive unit. This will not only bring new ideas to the table, but it allows your staff to feel included and therefore invested in your company, not just people who get a paycheck.
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Protect Your Assets
Having great ideas, wonderful employees, and a solid plan is only half of the battle to a successful and productive 2019. The other half is protecting your company from fraud. Fraud is both internal (an employee stealing data or money) and external (a hack or ransomware). No matter how fraud occurs, it can ruin your progress and set you back beyond recovery. Therefore, you need to spend time protecting your systems and your assets. This includes things like training your employees to not only know what can and cannot be accessed on the computer, but how to conduct business in general and what is acceptable in terms of operations. It also includes monitoring your systems, your employees, and your work product. Finally, know your business and do not make any assumptions. This does not mean you need to micromanage, but you do need systems in place to help you oversee operations and how your company is operating even if you are not on the premises.
These are just a few ideas to help you resolve to have a wonderfully productive 2019! To learn more about resolutions to help your business succeed in the new year, contact the experts at Fusion Employer Services at (609) 896-5900 today.
