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.
Filter
Future 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.
Targets
Leadership
Article
Lessons in task delegation: the right and wrong approach
Business owners often wrestle with task delegation. Stepping away from tasks can be daunting. We spoke to three experienced founders about their approach.
Vision and values
Employee engagement
Article
Meet the businesses that pool employee evaluation
Regularly evaluating the performance of your staff can help a business better meet individual and collective targets. We talk to two companies developing new employee evaluation techniques to engage with staff about their tasks and expectations.
Performance management
Leadership
Article
A day in the life of former Cisco CEO Phil Smith
While the average working day of a top-level CEO is hard to nail down, Cisco’s Phil Smith had some tried and tested strategies to ensure his hours in the office and on the road were as efficient and effective as possible.
Management behaviours
Digitisation
Article
A skills plan that works just as well for older staff as it does for younger
With the age of retirement set to hit 66 by 2020, it’s vital that companies ensure a skills plan is in place that's as appropriate to people in their sixties as it is to those aged 16.
Commercial technology
Employee engagement
Video
Bronwen Bamber of Butlers Farmhouse Cheeses believes engaging your team brings success
Bronwen Bamber is new product development manager at Butlers Farmhouse Cheeses in Lancashire, a family business dedicated to making the very best handmade British farmhouse cheeses.
Motivation
Leadership
Article
What vision and values building really teaches you
Sometimes it's the journey that teaches the most about your destination – at least that’s how I feel having been part of a vision and values building process.
Vision and values
Employee engagement
Article
How to monitor your best performing staff and empower them
While most focus may go on dealing with members of staff not pulling their weight, business leaders must be careful to not ignore their best performing staff who are the most important assets.
Talent development
Digitisation
Article
What we learned from using Slack for the first time
Devotees say Slack increases productivity, communication and transparency. But is it all it’s cracked up to be? Business owners share their experience.
Business operations technology
Leadership
Article
Brand values – a bit of necessary navel gazing
Despite not initially being a fan of brand values, Rotageek CEO Chris McCullough was converted to their value and ended up with a functional document to lead future growth.
Vision and values
Employee engagement
Article
The secrets behind The Pig Hotel success
It’s iconic buildings and eye-catching kitchen garden food have seen it become a darling of the UK hospitality scene, but what is it that really makes The Pig Hotel stand out from competitors?
Talent development
Commercial excellence
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 and exporting
Operational efficiency
Article
Practical operational changes made Start-rite 83 per cent more efficient
It’s a family-owned shoe brand that has been around since the end of the 18th century, but it took an outsider’s perspective to truly prepare Start-rite for the rise of ecommerce.
Continuous improvement
Future planning
Article
Marrying structure and creativity to unlock business innovation
Having created the world’s first designer low-energy light bulb, Plumen had to think strategically about the way in which future business innovation would be cultivated.
Innovation
Employee engagement
Video
Making the employee appraisal process about personal development targets
Rather than making the appraisal process about how staff are performing by measuring them against metrics and targets, SC Group is prioritising personal development.
Talent development
Future planning
Article
Executive education is a powerful tool for leaders
Business leaders have to keep learning. Working with peers and the management team is important, but executive education also plays a crucial role.
Ambition
Operational efficiency
Article
Weighing up quick business wins with longer-burn strategies
It may be tempting to launch into a series of grand plans designed to catapult your company to the next level, but ignoring quick business wins could mean you struggle with momentum.
Continuous improvement
Employee engagement
Article
Be innovative to retain your best staff
Keeping talented staff members in your company means accepting that traditional working conditions and standards may no longer apply, believes entrepreneur Callum Negus-Fancey.
Talent development
Digitisation
Article
Productivity hacks using commercial technology
Technology has the ability to bamboozle and empower businesses in equal measure – it all comes down to education and execution. One business leader tells us about one of his productivity hack, using a CRM system to power decision making.
Commercial technology
Commercial excellence
Article
Honing the company offering using customer feedback
While there have never been more ways for comments – be it positive or negative – to be given on products or services, customer feedback can be a powerful tool, if used wisely.
Marketing and sales
Employee engagement
Article
How the best SMEs continue to motivate high performers
A company's top employees need to remain incentivised and engaged if they are going to remain with the business. Let them get frustrated or bored and they will leave for pastures new. We talked to two companies striving to motivate high performers.
Motivation
Leadership
Article
Let new employees see how the whole business works
Suresite's Geoff Oldham makes sure that all new employees are introduced to managers to get an understanding of what the different departments do and, in turn, see the bigger picture in which they can play a part.
Vision and values
Employee engagement
Article
What happens when you think you’ve hired the wrong person?
If you discover you have hired the wrong person should you cut ties or take time to mould them into the worker you need?
Talent development
Employee engagement
Article
Don’t fret about the costs – consider the motivation gains
"Company rewards schemes do come at a cost, but also help form the corporate culture, attract talented people and maintain job retention at high levels”, said Dave Barnett, who believes strongly in motivation strategies.
Motivation