By Jabari Zion
The final weeks of the year are not only an ideal time for us to reflect as individuals but also businesses. Many managers will endeavour to review their operation and figures, readying themselves for a new and improved year. This reflection leads businesses, at least those actively pursuing improvement, to develop new strategies and goals. And, although we don’t give them the same title, these objectives are, essentially, New Year’s resolutions.
These resolutions, however, come with the same issues. Setting out the framework for new initiatives can be difficult, leading to many revert to old habits. As such, it’s important to undertake operational changes with dedication, with a clearly defined business plan that will allow you and your team to reach their new targets.
While many business resolutions will be specific to your sector and business, there are some that offer wide benefits to most organisations and should be undertaken appropriately.
Reevaluate Your Employee Culture
As we transition into a New Year, your employees will naturally consider their individual needs and evaluate their current position. If they are feeling undervalued or out of place within the workplace, they may be inclined to reconsider their role or career.
While employee wellbeing is a consistently important consideration for businesses, it just so happens to become even more essential around the New Year. Use the holiday season to reevaluate your team’s morale and wellbeing, ensuring that each member of staff is happy in their position and with their responsibilities.
Reassess Your Departments
As a business grows, it becomes easily accustomed to the essential nature of its departments. This can lead entire departments, or the individual tasks of employees, to become less optimised over time without realisation. When reviewing your yearly business data, departmental operations should be scrutinised, deciding how effective they are when compared with alternatives, such as comparing your internal payroll department to external payroll services.
Outsourcing has the benefit of making a department more secure and efficient, while also allowing you to reallocate your staff and resources to more essential tasks that will benefit the business. This support, when taking on the challenge of new goals, can be essential.
End Failing Endeavours
Certain undertakings within your business will not come into fruition. It can be tough to let these go, but it is important to remember that, cutting losses can often save your time and money in the long run.
The new year is not only a season of new objectives but also about ending old ones. So, if your business is continuing to spend on strategies that are not producing the right results or causing ongoing strain, this might be the right time to move on.
Check Your Ongoing Costs
Software subscriptions and site overheads are two common ongoing costs that businesses factor into their budgets. What is often forgotten is that these costs can be renegotiated or compared with alternatives. Instead of factoring in the same costs into your New Year’s budget, consider seeking out alternative programs and suppliers to find out if they can offer a better value service. While the initial reduction might be small, the act of investigating can lead to larger savings over time.
