Page 39 - Flathead Beacon // 6.25.14

FLATHEADBEACON.COM BUSINESS MONTHLY BUSINESS IS PERSONAL Mark Riffey
JUNE 25, 2014 | 39
Help Them Produce Their Best Work
AHHH, SUMMER SOLSTICE. We revel in these long days of sunlight in part because we can enjoy our favorite summer pastimes af- ter leaving work for the day.
For some companies, summer is a time to coast, or at least do little more than get by until September since so many staff member vacations are on the summer calendar. Because of this, it can feel like nothing big happens during the summer months.
Yet for many tourist-based business- es, it’s go time. All the marketing, prep, process/system building, cleanup and training are front and center. For oth- ers, it’s marketing/prep/analysis time. For retail, it’s often prep time for fall and winter holidays, working on marketing calendars, orders, e-commerce updates, etc.
No matter what business you’re in and what summer does to your work- load – summer is a great time to imple- ment improvements that help your staff produce their best work. The return on investment is high and in most cases, the cost is fairly low.
SHEDDING TEERS
I use an acronym called TEER to describe the most common ways to im- prove staff performance and results.
TEER stands for Training, Equip- ment, Environment, Roadblocks.
Training is a fairly obvious one and includes not only skill, process and equipment training, but personal devel- opment as well.
Equipment is a great way to improve staff productivity. Have you entered a hotel and had the desk personnel ask you to pardon them for being so slow because they were waiting an interminable time for the check-in computers?
Such frustrations are reflected in their interactions with guests, and can produce mistakes because the check-in desk staff may hurry to make up for that slow computer when it does respond. If your budget is limited, update these ma- chines first vs. that computer in the back office. The back office computer has a much lower daily impact on guest expe- rience, despite being slow when running the nightly audit.
Environment is primarily about the space where your staff spend most of their day. It could be a desk, cubicle, home office, auto parts counter, ware- house or mechanic’s bay. Is their envi- ronment optimized for performance and quality?
An office environment can often be transformed by a second (or larger) com-
puter monitor, regardless of the work being performed. Other spaces can be improved simply by reducing trips to re- trieve tools and materials. Simple things add up. Staffers may have suggestions that they’ve been “afraid” to make. Ask.
Roadblocks are all about doing whatever you can to eliminate the things that impede progress or productivity.
Roadblocks are often connected to the other TEER components. More of- ten than not, roadblocks tend to be situ- ations, paperwork and processes created by management (present and former) that simply need to be reconsidered or made more efficient. Don’t be your own worst enemy.
FORGETTING MANAGEMENT
Often times, management tends to focus on personal development and re- lated efficiency improvements and for- gets to implement them beyond the management group. This can lead to an undesirable disconnect in culture. TEER can produce solid value for man- agement just as it does for your staff.
Do your senior managers get train- ing to improve their skills and produc- tivity, but not middle managers? What about the reverse? While management may not need the same training as their staff, the need is still there at every level.
Likewise, the equipment that man- agers use may be different than that of their staff, but better (or additional) equipment that makes them more pro- ductive is just as valuable. I mentioned the benefits provided by a larger or ad- ditional monitor earlier, which can pro- vide equally strong improvements for managers.
As with other areas, a focus on man- agers’ work environment may or may not match the environment concerns of the staff, but it’s just as important. Changes to reduce interruptions, lower noise levels, or provide standing desks and/or better chairs can make a serious difference in work quality and health.
Healthier people do better work be- cause their health issues aren’t a dis- traction. This doesn’t mean getting rid of folks with health issues, it means helping them deal with them where pos- sible - and it isn’t always about physical health.
For example, when someone whose work is repeatedly interrupted suddenly has that situation improved, the change is more than about productivity.
Finally, do managers have their own roadblocks? Absolutely.
What improvements can you make to help everyone work better?
DEPARTING FROM LAKESIDE MARINA
DAILY CRUISES AT 1pm Tuesday Through Sunday
EVENING CRUISES AT 7 pm Sunday, Tuesday and Wednesday
ADULTS $20 CHILDREN $10 UNDER 6 FREE
Reservations Only For Groups Of 10+ Discount Will Apply
Arrive 30 Minutes Prior to Departure Also Available For Private Charters
Music on the Water!
“Stringlers”
Sunday, June 29th, 7pm
Known as “The Strings that Swing”, Ed Boggs and Harry Shepard play acoustic swing, bluegrass, celtic and other styles on a huge variety of string instruments.
Music included in ticket price. Advance ticket sales available online.
Blues Cruise
“Three Eared Dog”
Thursday, July 3rd, 7pm
Blues fans will enjoy Electric Blues by this Missoula band!
Call 471-9926 for tickets to this special show.
Want to learn more about Mark or ask him to write about a business, operations or marketing problem? See Mark’s site, rescuemarketing.com, or contact him via email at [email protected].
BUY YOUR TICKETS ONLINE AT: WWW.FLATHEADLAKEBOATTOUR.COM 406-844-BOAT (2628)