Lose weight.  Exercise more.  Figure out that Wii thingamajig from last Christmas.  We all make New Year’s resolutions to better our personal lives, so why should we do anything differently with our businesses?  This new year offers small-business owners the opportunity to evaluate operations over the past year and see what worked, what didn’t, and what can help the company develop in 2012.  Sometimes all it takes is a knowledgeable team and a nudge in the right direction.  With that in mind, here are some actions your company can take over the next few months to strengthen your business and its team, and to propel both toward the company’s long-term goals.

1. Review or develop a strategic plan.   To get the best from your strategic plan, it needs to keep pace with the desired outcome and the competitive landscape.  What better time of year to audit your strategy?  You can’t start down the path to success until you choose a destination and you share it with your employees.  A solid plan gives everyone a sense of purpose to work toward a common goal.
2. Conduct a Human Resources compliance audit.  Speaking of changing conditions, when was the last time you audited your employee-related legal compliance?  Even a fully staffed HR Department might not be aware of the latest changes in employment regulations.  An audit conducted by an outside professional HR consulting firm, such as YES! Your Human Resources Solution, will use the latest legal requirements to recommend ways to bring your business into compliance.
3. Ensure managers know how to delegate.  As we discussed in our blog about learning to delegate,  effective delegation is critical to creating efficient managers and making the most of employee talents.  Managers who delegate can set aside time to discuss business needs and to think about ways to streamline and grow operations.
4. Write an action plan for each employee.  What’s great for employee retention?  Employees who see how their day-to-day efforts relate to and drive the company’s vision for the future.  An action plan with individual goals, objectives, and performance measures can help give employees a sense of pride and purpose when they report for work.
5. Survey your employees.  What’s also great for employee retention (and productivity)?  Employees who feel like their needs matter.  It can be easy to fix the dissatisfactions that drive employees out the door, but you won’t know what those dissatisfactions are unless you ask.  Conduct an employee survey to find out what changes your employees would like to see in the coming year.
6. Celebrate your accomplishments.  Recognize a job well done by listing the prior year’s accomplishments and sharing them with your employees.  This is a great way to kick off 2012 on a positive note and to motivate employee morale and productivity over the coming months.

Sound like a lot to start on?  If so, remember we at YES! Your Human Resources Solution are here to support your company’s HR needs and your vision for the future.  We’re ready with the HR recommendations to help your company thrive, which reach beyond compliance audits and talent acquisition—we can also help you develop action plans for your employees and can talk to your staff about the work issues that matter to them the most.  We can even help your management team grow with our HR 101 for Supervisors training program.  Ready to tackle the new year and better your business?  Give us a call or visit our website for a free consultation.

Wishing you a Happy New Year!