Why productivity matters
Productive companies get more out of what they’ve got, enabling them to increase their profits, pay higher wages and invest in their future. More productive businesses mean a more prosperous country. Discover why productivity matters below.
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Planning
Article
What happens when your business plan runs off course?
A business plan is crucial to long-term success. Yet unexpected events can throw things off track. Here's what to do when things start going wrong.
Target Setting
Digital Readiness
Article
Want to rid yourself of those pesky business admin burdens? Here are some great solutions
From balancing the company books to paying utility bills, business admin can start to become a real productivity drain. However, embracing technology automating processes means this needn’t always be the case.
Digital Commerce
Planning
Article
Setting targets as a family business – it’s about aligning expectations
Running a family business gives you the chance to think about long-term performance. But it's important to make sure the goals of different family members are aligned when setting targets.
Target Setting
Sales & Growth
Article
How multiple product lines can be a more successful approach
While it may be tempting to focus on a few product offerings to really nail the proposition and offering, Be the Business spoke to five businesses not afraid to go big with their product lines to test and learn from customer feedback.
Expanding & Exporting
Digital Readiness
Article
How to ensure ongoing personal development
The role of business leaders continually evolves as a company grows. This means you need to ensure ongoing personal development and continually learn new skills knows Lisa Forde, Director of Dotty about Paper.
Collaborative tools & analytics
Planning
Article
Balancing business ambition with setting unattainable growth targets
Finding the right balance between ambitious goals and unattainable growth targets is crucial to getting the best out of staff. Failure to reach a goal can damage motivation, yet targets are an incredibly powerful motivator. So, how should you approach setting them?
Ambition
Digital Readiness
Article
Delighting consumers with an innovative customer service strategy
From providing a direct link to the CEO to incentivising feedback, innovative customer service approaches are worth taking the time to devise and execute – as Be the Business found out.
Digital Commerce
People & Team
Article
How Adnams is shaking off its 19th century tendencies
It’s stood the test of time, but now British beer brand Adnams is blending in some innovative management strategies to support future growth and employee empowerment.
Performance management
People & Team
Article
Lunch break not a time to deliver results
Headforwards knows that motivational drop offs are linked to employees being constantly pressured to perform and deliver results, and that's why the company runs a series of lunch clubs for its employees.
Motivation
Leadership & Strategy
Article
Three business leaders explain how they make tough business decisions
Whether it's firing someone or working out who to promote, many leaders struggle when it comes to making tough business decisions. Be the Business found out seeking advice and simply biting the bullet helps.
Leadership Behaviours
People & Team
Article
We reward hard work with an equity stake
Opinium has taken a different route rewarding its best performing employees with an equity stake in the business, believing it is a more effective way of recognising effort.
Motivation
Planning
Article
Linking staff incentives with frequent reporting and target hitting
Staff incentives provide a tool to increase motivation, shape the way people work and make businesses more productive. But how are they best aligned with hitting targets and KPIs?
Target Setting
Digital Readiness
Article
Coronavirus: Protect your business from cyber attack during the outbreak
Evidence is emerging that cyber attack criminals are seeking to exploit coronavirus. However, there are a number of clever tools at the disposal of SMEs.
People & Team
Article
Software helps us track staff performance daily
Brain Lonsdale has invested in project management software to help better monitor staff performance, and now has daily productivity insights.
Performance management
Leadership & Strategy
Article
Meet two holiday parks leading progressive change in the tourism sector
Two award-winning holiday parks are putting the environment at the heart of their company vision and are delivering unforgettable customer experiences.
Communicate vision and values
Sales & Growth
Article
Countries in focus: How the Irish economy took a hit but came out the other side fighting fit
It’s weathered crippling recessions and struggled with an uncompetitive currency, but now the Irish economy is booming and producing highly-productive small and medium-sized businesses.
Expanding & Exporting
Leadership & Strategy
Article
What you can learn from Ceviche’s Martin Morales
At a Be the Business masterclass business leaders shared what they learned from the Ceviche story and how they would use it to make their firms even better.
Improve your own leadership capabilities
People & Team
Article
Consider the effect of personal problems
If an employee is struggling at work, then consider that their personal problems could be a contributing factor for a drop in productivity says Julia Mitchell, Managing Director at Toast PR.
Performance management
Digital Readiness
Article
Automating manufacturing to compete on a global scale
Despite a few false starts, midlands manufacturer JJ Churchill is committed to taking a gamble and making big investments in new productivity-focused strategies.
Digital Commerce
People & Team
Article
To furlough or not to furlough – how to make tough decisions about staff
Ccoronavirus has meant owners and leaders are facing some of the toughest decisions of their lives. Here's some help when it comes to your people.
People & Team
Article
Tried and tested approaches to deal with staff missing targets
Be the Business spoke to three forward-thinking SMEs about the strategies employed to both identify when staff are missing targets, and get them back on track.
Performance management
Planning
Article
Rapid innovation in a traditional sector
Lockdown for business owners Mark Holden and Tom Jenkinson mandated a period of rapid innovation – and a glimpse of an interesting new world.
Leadership & Strategy
Article
It’s The Small Things: Detox Kitchen founder Lily Simpson
Detox Kitchen founder Lily Simpson shares the challenges of running a food business – from avoiding trends trap to learning to trust your instincts.
Structure your approach
Planning
Article
Define your business USP so it isn’t just hypothetical jargon
The easiest place to start talking about your company is probably the business USP – what makes your product or service different? But it’s difficult to define a USP that doesn't rely on industry buzzwords or hypothetical jargon.
Ambition