With just weeks to go until Christmas, you need to make sure you are prepared. If you expect sales to peak, put resources in place to make the most of the upturn.
Even if it’s not going to be a busy period for your firm, you should plan how to maintain your cash flow.
Follow these steps to make sure you are ready for the festive season:
- Enter into the Christmas spirit:
Making your premises or website look festive does not have to be expensive and can help encourage sales and boost staff morale. However, maintain the right balance – no-one likes a scrooge, but Christmas jingles can be irritating. - Manage stock levels:
If you are expecting extra orders over the Christmas season, ensure you will be able to fulfill them. But equally, don’t overstock or you risk tying up cash in goods you are unable to sell. Efficient stock control will ensure you have the right level of supplies. - Ensure your IT support is sufficient:
If you expect an increase in web traffic, make sure you have the bandwidth and server-processing capacity you need to prevent your site from crashing. - Organise staff resources:
Make sure you organise staff holidays so that you have enough people to cover busier days. If employees are reluctant to work extra hours, or sacrifice time over the holiday period, consider paying them a higher rate. Alternatively, bring in temps to cover any gaps. - Chase up payments:
If you have any invoices to chase, catch customers before they disappear on their Christmas holidays. It’s easy to forget to pay bills at this time of year, so make sure clients don’t leave you short. Finally, ensure you are up to date with your own payments. - Ensure staff complete all their tasks before going on holiday:
Provide clear instructions of what they need to do before they leave. However, when they are finished consider letting them leave early. It shows you appreciate their hard work and is good for morale. - Reward employees:
To celebrate their hard work get everyone together for a drink or mince pie. A fifth of businesses have cancelled their Christmas party this year, but parties can be a valuable way of saying thank you to employees for their hard work. - Set up a message-taking system:
If you are going to be away from your premises, make sure somebody is available to answer any enquiries or to check the answerphone for important messages. - Be security-conscious:
If your premises are going to be empty for a few days, take laptops and other valuable equipment home with you. Close the blinds to hide valuables and turn off machinery to reduce your energy bills. - Catch up:
If the Christmas period is a quiet time for you, make the most of the seasonal lull to catch up with outstanding tasks, such as updating your business plan. Make sure that in your business plan you include goals for yourself and the company in the new year.
A great way to increase productivity, staff retention and workplace moral is by putting your employees through a traineeship. Putting your employees through traineeships should be seen as an investment in the future of your company.
Effective training leads to higher labour productivity which increases business output and makes your business more competitive. There are also many economic incentives which provide yet another benefit of incorporating a trainee into your business.
Generous government incentives of up to $4,000 may be available for eligible workers, funded by the Department of Education. Payroll tax exemptions are obtainable for staff participating in a traineeship. Workers’ compensation rebates are offered for eligible trainees studying at a Certificate IV level.
Through our traineeship programs your employees will not only gain a nationally recognised qualification through a flexible and responsive mode of learning but also experience training that is meaningful to their workplace and relevant to their role.
For more information about how your company and staff can benefit from education through a traineeship, contact Trainwest today on 1300 938 411 or email Emma, our traineeship coordinator, [email protected].