We have all faced issues with staff at one point or other in our careers. Perhaps we’ve had “tough” bosses, a self centered colleague, or an uncooperative employee. If you employ people in your company other than a marriage partner, then you owe it to yourself, your company, your customers, your suppliers, and your staff to put as much effort into optimizing their functioning as you do in other facets of growing your business.
What does a business owner actually do?
One of an entrepreneur’s main tasks is creating jobs. You created your own job and you create jobs for your employees. If you create a product the first thing you think about is how you are going to communicate its features and benefits to potential customers. You will want to make sure you tell potential customers how it works and make sure their expectations are on target. You will want to optimize their experience with the product. The same is true for your staff. You create the jobs, but do you actually write the brochure that explains its features and benefits? Do you write the operation manual so that the functioning is optimized? Many of us seem to think that the osmosis[1] method will provide all the training and communication any employee (new or existing) needed. While that method works well for cellular transfer of fluids, it is painfully inadequate when used for staff communications, and that is why we often hear terms like “I just can’t get good help”, or “my biggest problem is staff”. Those phrases simply illustrate problems we have caused ourselves, and opportunities we have lost by failing to develop our staff with as much effort as we would use to develop a new product.
Opportunities.
So what are the opportunities? They exist on both the left side and the right side of the balance sheet. There are huge opportunities to save costs associated with staff and at the same time improve operations and sell more product. Save more money and make more money at the same time; boy that is music to this set of ears!
We all know too well the expense associated with hiring. There is the cost of advertising the job, interviewing, selecting candidates, more interviewing, hiring paperwork, training, inevitable (don’t believe that misnomer) mistakes, time to come up to speed, firing and repeating the whole process because of hiring mistakes…the list can go on and on. If we could eliminate or substantially reduce that side of the equation would it not be worth just a little effort?
Now, on the plus side, I can think of increased sales due to staff working together more efficiently, employees performing their job more consistently, staying in their job longer due to better working conditions, resulting in knowing the customer better due to longevity of employment, resulting in customers buying more because they have greater trust in people they know, and on and on. The bottom line is that if the staff works better the company works better. Does that not sound like an opportunity worthy of our attention?
The Missing Link!
By now you have probably guessed that the first tool we need to accurately communicate with all of our employees is a job description. If you are like many small businesses that I encounter, creating this is the first step in realizing more from your current staff, making the hiring process more efficient, and setting up processes that can help your business scale up rather than languish at a plateau for the foreseeable future. We don’t want to stop here, of course, but it is a necessary first start to systemizing your business for both the long term prosperity of your company and for your own peace of mind. There is a reason successful companies use job descriptions…they help.
It’s easy!
Perhaps getting started isn’t easy, but once you do you will be amazed at how the flow becomes second nature. You know which tasks need to be performed. You know what behaviors are needed to succeed in your company. You are now finally going to share that knowledge once and for all! This tool will allow you to better communicate with your staff whether they number 1 or 1000. You won’t have to repeat yourself anymore because everyone will be on the same page, literally! Further, when it comes time for the performance evaluation (and yes, you do need to take advantage of that opportunity as well) you will have a benchmark from which to base both positive feedback as well as encourage improvement in behaviors you feel might need attention.
Let’s get started.
Where do we start? I’ve included an example of a job description below which I used in my photo imaging business. Keep in mind that this is only an example, and you might want to look for others as well, but this will at least start you on that road. The job description below was for a photo lab technician who also handled some customer service functions. I mentioned performance evaluation so I’ve also included my former company’s “required performance standards” sheet which ties the job description together with a set of behaviors that would result in a mid-line performance evaluation. All of these documents were included in my Employee Handbook which was distributed to every new hire, as well as existing staff if there was ever an update in any of the sections. These documents provide the foundation on which you can build a systematized means of communication through regular staff meetings, one on one discussions, and spontaneous consultations. Taking advantage of this glaring opportunity is a first step in performance improvement…both yours and your company’s. If you have any questions about how this works, send me an email at bob@bestbusinessassociates.com and I’ll be happy to respond.
BEST PHOTO LAB, INC
NON‑EXEMPT POSITION DESCRIPTION
Title: Lab Technician
Date Prepared: May 5, 1991
DOT #976.687‑018
Reports to: Lab Manager Prepared by: R. Banasik
Purpose of Position: Plan, organize, and perform the general activities associated with the operation of a retail based photofinishing lab; typically including such functions as operating developing and printing equipment, computers, densitometers consistent with quality standards and other technical specifications, established schedules, and overall objectives of the company.
Principal Activities: Maintain consistent flow of work, materials, activities through constant interface with customers and other staff members. Perform tasks as necessary to ensure timely completion of orders while maintaining high quality standards. These tasks to include (but not limited to) the following:
Customer Service: Greet customers upon their arrival, input order‑entry data into computer system, identify materials to be processed selecting appropriate routing, queue materials in appropriate area, deliver finished products to customers, suggestive sell film and enlargements, answer questions and offer counseling to improve customers' picture taking experience. Maintain a professional, high‑tech image to customer at all times.
Film preparation: Select film from queue to be processed. Identify film type and time due. Trim and attach leader card and introduce into film processor assuring proper operation and take‑up. Remove exiting film and match with appropriate order envelope and queue for printing, assuring that earliest due times are kept in front of queue for first printing. Sort by type, size, desired order, etc.
Printing: Select order checking for earliest due times. Program printer console appropriately, print film according to customer order, check each neg for density and color classification, record number of prints and order number on envelope, inspect finished prints and perform any necessary remakes. Enlargement centers, color copy centers, and inter‑neg machines all require similar diligence.
Packaging: Select completed orders to package according to earliest time due, carefully sleeve negatives avoiding handling or scratch marks, ensure twin‑check number matches, neatly insert prints and negs into order envelope with "good" print on top, check print count, price order.
Order filing: Scan orders at workstation, verify print count and price, verify proper completion of order according to customer's specifications, log into system and file alphabetically. Ensure orders for same customer are together, ensure all orders are separate and not stuck together with another.
Technical support: Observe, report, and correct anomalies. Observe equipment alarms and resolve cause. Keep equipment free of dirt and dust, cleaning all as necessary.
Quality control: Perform densitometric analysis per Kodak specifications, monitor and correct balances, lamphouse values, master/paper/neg channels, slopes, etc. for deviations. Input all pertinent data into technical quality management system and transfer to Rochester as prompted.
Startup: Power up equipment, check all transports and racks for smooth operation, check all fluid levels, check instrument readouts and sensors, install necessary hardware, perform daily balance procedures and input data, bring all equipment to operating status. Run reporting procedure, network startup procedure, check night drop, bring store to open status, make coffee.
Maintenance: Clean work areas, using central vac, glass spray cleaners, solvents as necessary to maintain a clean, high‑tech image and freedom from dust. Clean equipment, racks, and tanks per manufacturer's schedule. Remove accumulated trash to dumpster.
Chemical handling: Review Veritas safety procedures. Observe all warning labels. Familiarize yourself with MSDS on all chemistries stocked in lab. Mix chemicals as needed as per manufacturer's specifications and equipment needs. Check labels when selecting chemicals ensuring all proper parts are correct, perform accurate measurements, use eye protection at all times, double check labels after measurements, introduce into appropriate tanks, again check labels. Inspect area for cleanliness and wipe up any spills. Upon error detection, stop all production and notify supervisor immediately.
Shutdown: Finish production, bring all equipment to standby status, remove and clean all crossovers, clean entrance and exit rollers on all racks, inspect and clean work areas, remove effluents and re‑mix replenishers as needed. Perform POS shutdown procedure, bring store to closed status.
Stock Control: Record & check all incoming shipments, input POS stock data, price & display merchandise. Observe inventory requirements, report shortages.
Best Photo Lab Inc.
Required performance standards
There are 10 areas of generalized performance upon which all staff are evaluated. The following descriptions would result in an "acceptable" evaluation.
Job Knowledge: Employee should exhibit a well-informed working knowledge of essential skill and general education required to perform responsibilities competently.
Organizational Ability: Employee should demonstrate the ability to properly organize work and use available time in an appropriate manner, set goals, plan work, and establish priorities.
Quality of Work: Work should be of a quality that can be depended upon, with few errors or incompletions; and should be accurate, consistent, and thorough.
Communication: Skills that would meet job requirements would include the ability to present ideas and information effectively as required by the job.
Team Work: The employee should be receptive to supervision and team efforts; interact well with co-workers in job related tasks, and demonstrate a willingness to cooperate with others in attitude toward work affecting actual performance, the company, and associates.
Initiative: An ability should be demonstrated to contribute and/or carry out new ideas or methods. The employee should occasionally show initiative or resourcefulness, and be a periodic contributor.
Problem Solving: Employee should demonstrate an ability to comprehend work problems and frequently suggest alternatives for solutions.
Decision-Making: The effectiveness with which an employee handles situations that require discretion and/or decision making should show a usually reliable judgement; and apply good common sense to work problems and responsibilities.
Flexibility: In constantly adapting to changes in business conditions we should require a normal amount of explanation and instruction to understand and adjust to changed conditions.
Quantity of Work: The quantity of work produced and the speed of assignments completed should compare to and meet our normal expected job requirements.
Required performance standards - Management addendum
Goal Setting: Managers should establish goals and execute plans as required to meet departmental objectives through the effective use of subordinates.
Resource Control: Management must demonstrate the ability to provide for the efficient utilization of resources (financial, human, materials, etc.) during planning and administration of budget responsibilities, and handle resources well within established guidelines and timetables.
Subordinate Development: A manager must use their abilities to properly delegate responsibility and develop subordinate capabilities.
[1] Large quantities of water molecules constantly move across cell membranes by simple diffusion, but, in general, net movement of water into or out of cells is negligible. For example, it has been estimated that an amount of water equivalent to roughly 250 times the volume of the cell diffuses across the red blood cell membrane every second; the cell doesn't lose or gain water because equal amounts go in and out. (Colorado State University 2000, accessed 2008 via http://www.vivo.colostate.edu/hbooks/cmb/cells/index.html )
© 2009 Best Business Associates LLC
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