Employee Performance in Small Business

To make a small business successful, all employees must produce. A non-productive employee can create great havoc in a small business. It is obvious when an employee is charging for eight hours of work and producing less. Project time schedules, work time logs, and billable hours do not match up. When an employee is not producing, others in the business must make up lost time, costing double wages for the same job.

Today's office is filled with equipment accessible to an employee. Besides the internet connections, there are personal cell phones, IPods, personal phone calls over business telephone lines, lengthy business meetings, long lunch hours, or just chatting by the "water cooler". All of which, interfere with production in a small business. Unless necessary for production, items of interference should be curtailed. Not everyone using a computer needs a connection to the internet.

Covering the Loss is Costly

As an owner, a manager, or a supervisor of a small business, it is important to prevent loss of production time. Any owner wants to know if an employee is not "pulling their share". A slacking employee creates resentments from other employees, disrupts coordination, delays project completion schedules, and becomes the problem rather than part of the solution. Productive employees continuously making up the slack will become dissatisfied and could leave.

Increasing Productivity

There are constructive ways to increase most employees' production. Rather than being critical, supervise the employee more closely, monitoring progress.

1) Be sure the employee understands the task
2) Have them repeat the instructions back
3) Give them the necessary equipment, office supplies, etc. to complete the task
4) Monitor the progress often
5) Ask the employee if they have any questions or need extra help
6) Appreciation and praise should be given for job progression or satisfactory completion

When an employee is assured that they have cooperation, help, or assistance, production will increase dramatically. A lot of younger employees become overwhelmed easily and a quiet assurance is sometimes needed to refocus their attention.

Eliminating the "Slacker"

If the employee is a "slacker" by nature, they will not appreciate nor accept the close supervision. Most will choose to work elsewhere, saving the need for termination.

Through many years of employees, I found this to be the best means to promote reasonable production from employees in small business. Very few employees can or will give eight hours of production in a day. Usually six hours is reasonable to expect and is cost effective for a small business, as well as giving an employee breathing room for their time spent at the office. Spotting a non-productive problem, solving it, or eliminating it as soon as possible is a key to success.

Sources:
Jared Stern/San Francisco State University/Organizational Behavior Concept: Job enrichment
Eastern Tennessee State University/Human Resources Guide/2009/Performance Evaluations
Personal Experience