NFIB

Maximizing Employee Time
03/ 28/ 2002


Every business owner knows that time is money, especially employee time. Whether employees are hired on an hourly or set salary basis, the unproductive time on a job is a serious drain on company profits. Unfortunately, small business enterprises often find that an indispensable job sometimes fails to fill a full-time schedule, or that some months of the year provide unacceptable blocks of slack time for an employee. In today's Workshop, writer Edith Helmich describes some ways to make the most of your employees' time.

Astute company management requires finding innovative ways to get the work done without sacrificing either employee expertise or the budget. Some of the tried and true ways that have been effective include:

Shared Employees -- Negotiating a full-time position to be shared among a group of similar businesses often attracts employees with higher qualifications than those who will settle for a part-time position. Individual situations will determine whether work will be completed at one site, or whether the employee will work at different locations on a predetermined schedule. Bookkeepers, window designers, and other essential services employees fall into this category. An activities director for a nursing home is still another example.

Independent Contract Employees -- Hiring a person with special skills for a specific job for a salary that begins and ends with a specific project completion means that there are no wasted hours. Professional writers and public relations specialists for newspaper or television advertisements are examples of expertise that small businesses need periodically. Independent contracts are also appropriate for trainers for the use of new equipment, or for periodic repair of machinery and equipment.

Contracted Services Employees -- Using a third party to provide services as needed is often a cost-effective approach. The classic example of contracted services is use of an employment agency to find new employees. Other examples include an answering service or customer service representatives to take orders for company products.

Multi-task Employees -- Hiring employees with multiple skills, or providing training to existing employees to develop the ability to work at diverse tasks is cost-effective. This focus provides an attractive change of pace for employees during the day, season or year as well as filling the job hours with productive activities. Most employees today realize that their job involves "whatever needs doing" within their skill category. Thus, a receptionist might also handle customer service requests, and care for the plants in the waiting room.

Part-time Employees -- This is a traditional category for filling in the tasks that require less than full-time work, and it works. The drawback is that part-time employees tend to change jobs more often, increasing hiring and job training costs. Although a viable alternative, some employers rely too heavily on part-time employees.

Making the most of the employee share of the business budget requires owners to use a variety of employment designs.

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