The Cost Of Marginal Employees

When it comes to discussions about enhancing profits, most managers and owners seem to focus on trimming expenses, increasing sales and bumping up prices. For some strange reason they seem to ignore or minimize the impact that marginal employees have on their bottom lines. Marginal employees cost many companies thousands of dollars every day in ways that are not always obvious. Marginal employees can make more mistakes, they can alienate customers, they can alienate fellow employees, they can be inefficient in their work, they can produce less and they generally don't offer the same level of overall contribution to the business. But many, many businesses continue to hire and retain marginal employees. The hiring processes are poorly defined and/or careless and managers are not well equipped to manage. The cost of marginal employees is tremendous. It is an area that should receive first priority in any business. How many marginal employees who will probably not improve performance enough through training or coaching does your organization employ?Tuesday

Individual Planning Is Important Too

It is critical for employees to plan their work and plan ahead. Too often an employee's focus is disrupted by the many activities and tasks that face them on a daily basis. It is important to have a plan of attack in terms of what tasks must be accomplished by when. This means that prioritizing work is an important factor in staying focused and in accomplishing what needs to be accomplished in a timely manner. Without individual planning an employee's day tends to be chaotic and unproductive. If possible, break the day into manageable time slots and fill those in with the tasks that should be completed. Try to complete the most important tasks or those with more urgent deadlines first. As the day goes by, the time slots might need to shift due to unplanned activities or interruptions. At any rate, try hard to plan your work and stick to the plan as best you can. It will pay dividends in terms of increased productivity and reduced stress.