How do you manage the staff you have employed?

I started this month consulting with a bakery that had just started operations again after shuttering down due to mismanagement and the impact of the Covid-19 lockdown. We, the management and my firm, started out by employing new staff which included the baker and his assistant, the marketer, bakery supervisor, delivery bus driver, and a cleaner who is on contract.

What is the purpose of this post? So many businesses fail for the mere fact that they have hired the wrong staff. Staff employed can create a lot of problems that if the entrepreneur isn’t careful he/she would end up losing his hard earned startup money, especially if you can’t be there to ensure that things run smoothly.

What kind of problems can your staff create for you I’d you are not there? They can run away customers due to bad customer relationship; they reduce the quality of your products or services; some are lazy and so won’t produce at the required rate and they can also mismanage the money from your business.

The baker does have the experience baking and making bread, however he lacked every other skill needed by a staff. The marketer is someone who finds it hard to relate with clients and persuade them of the value of his products and ends up coming back with the products he leaves with. The supervisor is so confused at times I just laugh. The first delivery driver? He just left and didn’t return the next day for work. You would ask me why, he assumed that the work of a bakery delivery driver was to just go to one location for the day and his work is done. He had a ride awakening and decided it was better to be unemployed in his parents home.

So, what is the solution? When you employ youths who have limited knowledge as regards how things are done or should be done, train them. No matter where they are coming from or the experience they feel they have, let them have the training that will ensure that the work they do meets with the quality your business needs. In addition to training your staff, mentor them or ensure they are mentored. They will be prone to making less mistakes after being trained and mentored. This will increase output and give you a level of peace as regards your business

As the business consultant, I have had to ensure we get a new baker since the one the bakery started with refused to do things according to the high standards of where he is working. His complain? The company is asking for perfection and high quality, so I asked him to walk. Why would you learn a skill and not expect to be perfect and give high quality? Especially when you are in a competitive market where your customers have a choice? You can’t compete using price as you all sell at the same price, the best would be to compete based on quality of product and yes perfection.

Truth of the matter, the business should have constant trainings for the staff at least once a month. To add to the training there should be monthly reviews of all staff. It doesn’t matter that your business is small, what matters is that you start right and run your business the right way. If you realise that you are like my client who can’t be there all the time or you don’t have the required expertise to manage your people get a consultant to do it for you.

Having the wrong team will ensure that your business goes nowhere fast. Having the right team that doesn’t run like a well oiled machine will create friction and tension that results in the grounding of the business. As much as it is important to have the right products or services; get the best backing or financing, if you have the wrong team working with you the result will still be bad.

Mariam Campbell is a small business consultant. She has been helping small businesses grow, set up structure and implement business plans. She also writes company businesses plans for small businesses in Nigeria. She is the founder and owner of Intercamp Services which is an SME that offers businesses consulting services. She is also part owner of Handchara Krafts Limited a craft and hardware trading and training business. Mariam is an advocate for entrepreneurship and starting small.