Many employees respond best when they feel their company cares about them and their ideas. Unhappy employees are less likely to perform at their best. How do you show you care?
And like any disease, a toxic employee can subtly spread counterproductive attitudes and actions to other employees. Employees who were productive but lacked the strength to overcome the negative forces become carriers of the disease, and so the toxicity spreads. Over time, the entire company can be infected.
What is it that prevents small businesses from successfully implementing useful back office systems? Usually it is the business owner. Small business owners often lack the knowledge, the time, and the help they need to create useful systems and make them work to their advantage. And a lot of business owners don’t think they need systems. That’s where they are mistaken.
The chain of command provides a clear line of responsibility from the executive suite on down. As part of the structure, you need to give employees a procedure to move up the chain if their concerns are not resolved.
Everyone is held accountable to the chain of command, starting with those at the top. If you own the company, you need to define your role in the chain of command and follow the protocols that you set.
To outsource or not to outsource…that is the question. If you find running payroll, tracking AP and AR, and being responsible for the multitude of routine accounting functions is a drain on your resources rather than being an asset to your business, you might consider hiring an experienced, reputable accounting service
Part of the job of senior managers is to keep the corporate vision alive. When you have toxic employees undermining operations, it’s challenging to keep your eye on long-term objectives, but the best defense against cranky workers is maintaining a positive attitude and a clear vision, and sharing that vision.
For moderately sized companies in the $2 million to $20 million range, senior management often turn to their CPA for advice about business finances because they don’t have a CFO or financial advisor on staff. What they will get from a CPA is a financial opinion informed by the CPA’s perspective on taxes and tax law, not necessarily the financial opinion that may be best for the situation.
Often, as owners we find that we wear too many hats: constantly going from being the owner to sales, to HR and accounting, to web design, etc. The reason for creating the Marin Business Forum is to learn more about how to run our businesses better – from guest speakers and from each other.
The networking event will feature a panel discussion, including what business owners should know about outsourcing accounting and HR services, and what they should know about choosing the best benefits provider.
CB’a Brand Engine, has been working with Pacific Crest Group to help the company expand following its recent launch as a new joint venture of two established branding firms, and the opening of a Chicago satellite office. Thanks to Pacific Crest Group’s expert accounting and CFO-for-hire services, the launch of the newly formed CB’a Brand Engine has been smooth and seamless for its clients.
Many companies fail to recruit and hire with the evolution of their business in mind; you need people with different qualifications and strengths for your business depending on your growth strategy.