As an employer, there are a million and one things that you must do to keep your business moving in the right direction. However, the road ahead will become a whole lot smoother or bumpier depending on whether you have put the right protection in place.
Running a business is hard enough without facing disruptions and unforeseen problems. It might be the oldest cliche in the book but prevention is truly the best form of protection. Here’s how you can achieve the desired results.
1. Protect Your Building
When thinking about potential dangers to your business, attacks on your workplaces will naturally play on your mind. From stock theft to vandalism, outsiders could cause severe damage to your company.
Proactively protecting your properties with alarm systems and surveillance cameras is essential. Using items like anti-climb paint to stop intruders from gaining unauthorized access may also aid the cause. Internal and external spaces alike must be protected from every angle.
In addition to putting security features in place, you may also want to hire security staff to patrol your premises. This could mean overnight guards to protect factories or in-store personnel to stop thieves.
2. Know Who Is On The Premises
Taking the steps to prevent unauthorized access to your workplaces is one thing. However, it’s still equally vital to create a suitable entry point system for auhtorized personnel. Custom employee ID badges are a great addition, especially when they are scanned to track who is on-site at any time. The data will be hugely valuable in emergency situations. Also, different employees may have contrasting credentials. IDs ensure that only the right people can gain access to specific workspaces.
Above all else, the knowledge that only the right people have been allowed into the building will give employees peace of mind. When they are blessed with clear minds, workers will be more productive. This will put your company on more stable ground.
3. Level Up Your Cybersecurity Measures
In today’s business landscape, we all rely heavily on computer tech. Unfortunately, this does open the door to potential attacks. Research shows that 43% of all cyberattacks target SMEs while 60% of victims go out of business within six months. With this in mind, it is essential that you implement robust systems. Outsourced IT and cybersecurity services are the most popular choice. This approach puts preventions in place while also ensuring a quick response to any issues that do surface.
However, it should be noted that over 90% of all attacks can be attributed to human errors. As such, knowing that all employees are suitably trained so that they can avoid scams and attacks should be high on the agenda. It protects employee and customer data alike.
4. Prevent Unscheduled Downtime
When managing a business, you have to accept that machinery will encounter wear and tear. Sadly, even an hour of unscheduled downtime could cause huge financial repercussions. Not least if equipment then needs to be replaced.
The best way to overcome this is to monitor all equipment through the OEE method. This way, you can schedule maintenance and repairs to take place when they won’t impact productivity. Likewise, it allows you to avoid reduced efficiency as your data will highlight when this becomes an issue.
Sometimes, downtime occurs due to issues that are out of your hands. Power outages are a great example of this. To take control of this situation, you can focus on having backup generators and other contingencies in place. It will make your life a whole lot easier.
5. Put Safety Measures In Place
Workplace accidents happen. As an employer, you have a human responsibility as well as a commercial one to reduce the risks. Otherwise, you could face a host of problems. They range from personal injury claims and productivity downtime to damaged reputations. With this in mind, you must ensure that the layouts of all workspaces are designed with safety in mind. Preventing electrical fires, trips and falls, and general hazards will promote a better vibe. As well as supporting employees, it will allow you to focus on your work.
It is equally important that all workers are protected with the right attire. This includes safety harnesses and hard hats in appropriate places. Having electrical safety hooks and other accessories to save the day in emergency situations will serve you well too.
6. Take Care When Assembling Your Team
One of the most effective ways to protect your team is to ensure that your teams include the right people. When hiring employees, it’s vital that you choose responsible workers as well as talented ones.
Meanwhile, you must extend this commitment to building a strong team to ideas like working with agencies or freelancers. Otherwise, temporary or outside workers can quickly damage the atmosphere that you have created. Conversely, when the right people are on your side, they will influence each other in positive ways.
Responsible employees will look out for each other while also keeping clients safer. In turn, this will have a huge impact on both the immediate and long-term future of the company. After all, a great workforce is your greatest asset.
7. Reduce The Risk Of High Staff Turnover Rates
Building a strong team is one thing but true success comes from keeping employees together. High staff turnover rates will disrupt the company in several ways.
Firstly, replacing them can be very time-consuming and expensive. Secondly, it’s very likely that the company’s overall output will become less consistent. With this in mind, it’s imperative that you make the right choices when cultivating a positive workplace. Good staff break room facilities help while flexibility in your approach is vital too.
This could mean allowing people to WFH in certain situations or simply letting them show their initiative. When supported by clear paths to promotion and personal growth, employees will respond well. Your company will subsequently look far stronger.
8. Invest Heavily In The Customer
If you want your business to enjoy sustainable success, it’s imperative that you focus heavily on the client’s happiness. Their consumer decisions will ultimately determine whether you gain the revenue needed to thrive. Meanwhile, building a loyal fanbase will make it far easier to forecast future performances.
This is because the Pareto Principle says that 80% of revenue comes from 20% of your audience. So, you need to know your place in the market and ensure that your products and ads are tailored to them.
Offering a better user experience should also mean promoting smooth transactions and client care. A responsive approach is key. When clear protocols are in place, it should reduce the likelihood of employees receiving abusive comments too.
9. Keep Your Intellectual Property Protected
When protecting company property, most employers focus primarily on physical and digital attacks. However, intellectual theft may be the biggest danger to your business. Fraudsters won’t only indirectly reduce your sales.
Worse still, counterfeit goods are often poor quality, which will see your reputation take a hit. With this in mind, it’s vital that you take out the right copyright and patent documents. And if someone does try to rip off your ideas or sell fake goods that pretend to be yours, you must take action.
The harsh reality is that if you leave this issue untreated, it will only snowball. But if you don’t have the right legal protection in place, you will find it more difficult to regain control of the situation.
10. Manage Your Finances
Finally, you cannot afford to ignore the fact that success is largely defined by the financial aspects. Regardless of why you started a business, it needs money. Most employers will track their revenue to see that things are moving in the right direction. In truth, it’s imperative that you monitor expenses too.
This is particularly true given that material costs and other overheads have increased. Trimming the fat by losing unnecessary tasks or changing suppliers can make all the difference. Monitoring the situation will also highlight when you need to think about increasing your prices.
When combined with ongoing bookkeeping and accounting, you should stay in control with relative ease. If supported by the other steps mentioned above, your business and its key personnel will be suitably cared for.
