Concentrate on Success: Outsourcing your human resources lets you focus on the big picture.

Containing costs is of prime importance for any business. Keeping the cash from flowing out the door can mean the difference between outstanding success and abject failure, whether the business is an enormous multi-national conglomerate or a small family shop.

There are many ways to go about this, but one of the more popular ones is to outsource some functions. Although many people think of this as solely the province of large corporations, it can serve a purpose in small business as well. For example, most smaller firms do not have full-time accountancy staff. Instead, that function is contracted out to either an individual accountant or accounting firm. This situation is so common that most of us don’t even think of it as outsourcing, but that’s precisely what it is.

Soft… Real Soft: Managers need a full skill set, not just hard skills.

“People don’t quit their companies, they quit their bosses.” How many times have you heard that phrase? It’s rare that a corporate entity of any size upsets an employee so much that they feel quitting is the only option. One bad manager, however, can empty out an entire department within weeks.

It’s all too easy to imagine a scenario where a manager doesn’t have the skills to motivate his staff or help them feel engaged. In fact, we’ve heard of many situations where one manager brought employee morale down so low it essentially shut down the organization!

Top Performers: You can keep them on your staff with the right incentives.

There are more important things in life than money, at least when it comes to how people rate job satisfaction. Research shows that most workers don’t put money as their number one concern. Things like flexibility,  challenging work and recognition are very often rated higher.

These and other non-monetary perks can have a big return for individual employees. Having a range of options such as flex hours or the ability to work (at least part of the time) from home can mean the difference between a highly-skilled staff member staying with an employer or searching for a new job.An employee recognition program is incredibly easy to establish, doesn’t have to cost much (if anything) and lets high-achieving staff know that they are appreciated. It can also urge other employees to try harder. The program could use different levels of recognition, including a personal note of thanks from the owner/manager, an Employee of the Month Award, an Employee of the Year Award, and team recognition. Going further, why not present an annual community service award? If one of your staff gives of their time to support a charity or a kids’ sports team, acknowledge it!

The Right Price: In today’s market, salary has to be competitive.

Value is a slippery concept. A pound of gold isn’t of any value to a man starving to death in the woods, but a chocolate bar is a treasure beyond price.

The old saying goes “The value of a thing is what that thing will bring.” There’s a lot of truth in that statement. Resources that are rare and highly desired by many people will fetch a much higher price than those that are common as dirt and desired by no one. This applies as much to human resources as anything else.

Summer Solution: Keeping productivity high during vacation season

The summer months present unique challenges from a productivity perspective, especially for management. Coming in to work in the morning, it might seem that half the staff is on vacation, and the other half is making great mental headway in joining them.

It is often suggested that employers should use incentives to encourage more employees to take vacations during the winter. This makes a certain amount of sense. In many parts of the world, winter weather means an almost inevitable drop in productivity due to delays in public transit, weather related car and traffic problems, and staff calling in sick.