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How to design a business performance plan that’s fit for purpose

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Regardless of the type of organisation you are running, whether you’re in education, research, commerce or any other sector, it’s essential that you have a good business performance plan in place. These plans are about much more than arranging annual employee appraisals. If you’re to lead your organisation effectively, this element of management is vital. To help you, here is a brief guide to designing a business performance plan that’s fit for purpose.

Take a holistic approach

Performance management specialists gpstrategiesltd.com suggests this task is about translating goals into results. The company emphasises the importance of taking a holistic approach to the issue, stating that by connecting their strategies, cultures, leadership and employee engagement, businesses will see great rewards. According to the organisation, a good performance management plan targets not only individual employees but also teams, processes, programmes and organisations as a whole.

Consider bringing in expert help

Getting this aspect of management right can be tricky, particularly if you lack the time, experience or resources required. This is why it can pay off to get the experts involved. Specialist third parties run performance management strategies on your behalf, bringing their knowledge and expertise to bear to help drive up performance within your organisation. These companies offer a range of services. For example, they assist you by reviewing and enhancing your performance appraisal practices and programmes, and ensure your organisational performance plans are aligned with your overall business aims.

They also help you to implement robust performance ratings metrics, introduce effective rewards systems for your employees, set up coaching and mentoring programmes and offer strategic consulting on issues connected to organisational effectiveness. In addition, they run workshops to train your managers on the relevant competencies and streamline your performance management processes by implementing digital solutions.

Be prepared to adapt your plan

No matter how well considered your business performance plan is, it’s essential that you’re prepared to review, adapt and improve it when necessary. The fact is, organisational objectives and priorities change over time, so you need to be willing and able to learn and pivot as you go by adjusting to meet your goals as efficiently and effectively as possible.

Getting your business performance plan right can have a profound impact on your ability to survive and flourish as an organisation, so it’s well worth paying attention to tips like these when you’re thinking about this element of management.

Reducing Shrinkage in Your Store, How to Get It Done

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If you are a small business owner then you need to be concentrating on every cent that comes in and goes out of your business. Despite meeting so many people through my line of work who focus wholeheartedly on their bottom line, it always surprises me how few of them focus on shrinkage within their business.

Shrinkage is unknown loss in the business and in the main this can be put down to theft, poor practice or damage. Within this, I work mostly in helping business owners reduce theft and stopping them from being exposed to shoplifters. Recently I have been working with John Bradberry Charlotte NC resident and security expert on some stores in a shopping center in Charlotte, helping small business owners to focus on shrink and protect their stock.

Training Your Staff

One of your best weapons against theft is the service which your staff can offer the customers as they are walking through the door. The reason why this is so effective is because thieves do not want to be bothered, especially not by a smiling face asking them what they need. Staff should also be ever-present on the shop floor and be vigilant throughout their shift for anyone who looks out of place or indeed as though they are up to something.

Targeted Protection

Understanding what goods are being taken from the business is massively important and you can use stock counts to highlight what it is that is going missing. Throughout this process, you will be able to be far more effective at targeting at risk products in your store and finding ways of making them less exposed for shoplifters.

Product Protection

If you sell high value items then you should have processes in play each day that have staff checking the product protection and ensuring that everything has stickers and alarms on it. You should also be regularly moving the products in your store about and removing the possibility of blind spots within your store which will invite thieves to go about their business in peace.

Investing in Security

Investing in security cameras and security staff for your store amy cost you a bit of money up front but in the long run it could sea you a great deal of money and it is well worth doing. Not only do methods such as these deter shoplifting, they can also help you to catch a shoplifter in the act. Very often small stores are targeted by the same thieves and catching them could cut down the shoplifting altogether.

Neighbourhood Watch

If you are on a high street or in a shopping center then you should be working with your neighbours to ensure that the area is trying its best on the whole, to reduce theft. Sharing information is vital to everyone being on the look out and you should be working as a team to eradicate theft from your stores.

Ideal Ways Freelancers Can Help Your Business

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If you are running a business on a budget, you might find it hard to hire permanent staff to help. However, you still have tasks you need to complete; all that need to be completed to a deadline. Thankfully, the world of freelancers has become a lot more widespread than previously.

There are a few areas of your business that can benefit from using freelance workers. Here are some of the ways you can use them to help you and your business.

Design

If you are planning a new email marketing campaign or a new advertising poster, then you might need the help of a graphic designer. There are many designers online that can do freelance work for a reasonable price.

Usually, they can take on a new design and have it ready in a few days. You might need to liaise with them a couple of times to finalize the design, but it can save you money on hiring a designer to come in-house.

Data Entry

A lot of companies will have data that they need to have transferred onto spreadsheets to work on them. It isn’t a very hard job, but it can be time-consuming which isn’t easy when you have a lot of other things to do.

You can hire a data entry freelancer to help you transfer all that important data, and to ultimately save you time. They are usually people who have a great attention to detail so errors should be kept to a minimum.

Depending on the amount of data you need transferring, it can take a day or two for them to transfer it. However, this is a lot less than hiring permanent in-house staff.

Virtual Assistant

The virtual assistant is one area that many companies turn to, especially if they are looking to streamline their processes. The advantage of using a freelancer is that they can work when you need them, and the rest of the time you are saving money.

They can typically help with many tasks including booking flights, arranging your calendar, dealing with emails, and even creating and sorting with invoices.

For this type of role, you need to be aware of each other’s time zones or communication could be a little difficult.

Marketing

In general, you will already have a marketing campaign in place before you begin your business. However, you may need to have it amended or reviewed at certain times so that your business is still going in the right direction.

With a freelance marketing expert, you can call them in to look at your campaign, and they can suggest ways it can be improved. They can also help you to implement some of the changes for you to save you time.

Freelance workers are becoming a normal way of doing business for many companies now. If you use the right channels, you can get a professional freelancer that can save you a lot of time and money. You can then use that money to grow your business.