Many businesses are about to fail. You have to be creative
to survive. Trimming the fat, ending bonuses and huge
severance payments is knee jerk. But there is a lot more
you can do.
The first thing is to speak to your employees. Explain that
you are hovering on disaster. You can only do this when
you have performed the "knee jerk" actions in the above
paragraphs.
Explain to them that for the time being you are going to
have to move to part time. To keep each worker you will
have to put them on a four hour shift.
You might want to go to three shifts, but each worker
works four hours then a four hour off, before another
four hour on.
In this way you get twelve hours of work without paying
overtime, without paying for lunch breaks.
When money is tight you have to get as much out of each
dollar you pay as you can. Paying people to eat lunch
or having to pay them time and one half to finish the
work is why you are in trouble.
The writ in stone 5 day/40 hour work week should have
gone out with manual typewriters.
It is not merely the fact that off shore companies can
do the work cheaper, it is that the relationship between
the worker and the work is more productive.
By moving to task work and limiting the time the work is
to be done produces more work.
Further, without the sacred
lunch break there is no reason for the usual "unwork" ritual.
At eleven forty five, as Worker is soon going to lunch s/he
doesn't begin that new task. At eleven fifty five the worker
ceases to perform. At One fifteen the worker is just getting
back into stride. This means at least ninety minutes of non
production per worker per day.
Without a lunch break, the worker leaves in four hours, no
breaks. Many times you will get that extra five minutes
to complete the task because there's "nothing" for him/her to
do' when s/he leaves.
Further, make it clear that you won't be able to keep
everyone and are trying your best to make sure each
one gets "something".
It doesn't have to be said, that the worker who at Three
hours and fifty minutes begins to pack up can be gotten
rid of, while the one that finishes the task at Four
hours and five minutes can be retained.
Some of the workers will opt for two shifts, i.e.
6 to 10 am and then 2 to 6 in the evening.
They are giving eight hours work for eight hours pay.
Not six and one half hours for eight hours work.
Although they make the same money, you get more work
and can, in case you need overtime or extra staff for
a period, get double shifts or create a special over
lapping shift. But never fall back into the eight
hours straight, because that will turn into six and
one half.
You can always pop in a special shift from 9 to 1 and
another from 1 to 5, or 3 to 7, whatever suits you.
What you want is that all sections are full of workers.
As you can see, the 9 to 1 worker can also fill the
2 to 6 slot.
As medical benefits are always problematic, you will
have to work out with your carrier a special kind of
coverage.
Some of your employees will leave, may retire early,
quit, so the "downsizing" will be natural.
Further, with so many people looking for work, you can
hire those far better qualified for far less.
Right now, although the future seems murky, these steps
will help you navigate through the fog.?
