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Written by Louise Broekman

This article appeared in Issue 3#1 (November/December 2008)

of Business Franchise Australia & New Zealand

By Louise Broekman, HR Coach Network

More often than not we receive desperate calls from clients saying “my staff are driving me crazy!” I can’t find them – so I get the best I can get and then when they start (if they bother to turn up at all), they leave!

Does this sound familiar?

Well guess what? – you drive your staff crazy too! Yes that’s right. It is often that when a staff member leaves – they are not leaving the business, they are leaving their boss!

We have been surveying staff satisfaction and analysing what staff think and what frustrates them. In this article we will share with you some of their frustrations in two environments – the Small Business Owner and the Entrepreneur and will share tips along the way.

The Small Business Owner

Staff who are attracted to working for a small business owner are very rare indeed. Just think about it. If you were looking for a job and you have skills that could fit in many types and sizes of organisations, why would you want to work for a small business owner?

Well, you could have a lot of variety, flexibility to fit in with family or other commitments, personal dealings with the decision maker and opportunity to contribute your ideas. All without the politics and red tape of a large organisation. It sounds great doesn’t it?

So why do people leave – often from small businesses?

The pressure is high on small business owners to be all things to all people. Resource strapped, cash sensitive, multi-tasking, and long hours, makes the small business owner time poor, tired and burnt out.

So what are the gripes from staff that leave small business owners?

They never have time for me
Everything is last minute – it is chaos!
We make one decision and then have to change tact – 10 minutes later
They don’t delegate – so I watch them running around doing my work for me
We were going to work on a new project but we never get things finished
When staff leave – the owner has to jump in and work with us – they never seem to get anywhere
I am never a priority – everything is focused on keeping the doors open
They are too inconsistent – one day they are up and one thing happens and next day they are down

So what can a busy small business owner do about it?

Stop
Create a simple HR Plan in the business plan and schedule activities with staff
Train and then delegate with timelines and schedule follow ups straight away
Recruit staff that thrive on activity and making things happen.

Managing staff in a small business is often more difficult than managing a large team, as there are so many competing priorities. Recruit carefully and treat your team as well as you treat your customers.

Benchmark and measure what you are doing well, so you can replicate it and determine what needs improvement.

The Entrepreneur

Staff who are attracted to working for a medium or entrepreneurial business are drawn not only to the job, but the vision that you have for your business. They want to go for the ride!

Why would a well skilled job seeker want to work for an entrepreneur? They may seek the opportunity to learn, job scope, ability to make things happen, be a part of something exciting, no politics and minimal rules and hopefully flexibility in work arrangements. For some, they may be attracted to fast tracking their career as they are exposed to many new exciting concepts – and they would be prepared to work for it if they did.

So what do staff say when they leave this great environment?

We promise what we can’t deliver – and I have to deal with the customers
In-house bickering between sales and everyone else!
I dread Mondays when they have had time to think and come up with another idea!
They employed me as a manager– but undermine me all the time and go straight to my team
They don’t trust me to do my job – and do it for me
I follow the process – but they don’t!
Everything is urgent – we have an urgent list and a really urgent list – it’s crazy!
Our processes and systems can’t keep up – I don’t have the right resources for my job

So what can the entrepreneur do about it?

Growing businesses are a real challenge for entrepreneurs. The business has grown, but not necessarily the way people are managed. Managers are employed to manage. The entrepreneur must enable the managers to do their job – for them to “own” their area of responsibility. Let me share with you a case study of one such organisation.

Case Study

A high growth award winning business had reached a level of growth and maintained its revenue – but not its profit.

As it grew, people and processes were struggling to keep up and their growth took a dive. After reviewing staff satisfaction and talking with the management team, we realised that the entrepreneurs themselves were creating chaos in their own business – without realising it. They were holding their people accountable, but not allowing them to do their job without interference.

The issue was not their business structure, but how their structure worked. After many months of work, the business owners took on a strategic role and allowed their management team – to manage the operations of the business.

Each person evaluated their own roles with their managers and committed themselves to be “self managed”. The managers focused on problem solving and involved the entrepreneurs in the decision making process.

Management retention stabilised and the business was preparing for the next stage of growth – in both revenue and profit.

This is what is known as the contribution model. Where individuals own their job and “want to do” versus “have to do”.

Being a better boss sometimes means allowing people to manage themselves. Benchmark and measure what you are doing well, so you can replicate it and what needs improvement.

How Professionals Can Help

There is nothing like being your own boss – but you can also be your biggest enemy! If you are passionate and focused about your business means that you may need assistance with objectivity and working through the most effective way of communicating with your people. Look for a qualified HR Coach who is accredited to deliver STAR Workplace and how to proactively implement this method in your business.

What can you do?

Take the time to speak with your people – create a genuine environment and real conversations about their needs and your business. This will be a real start to creating mutual success.

STAR Workplace business benchmark program was launched in Australia in August 2008. To obtain an application form visit www.hrcoach.com.au

About the Author:

Louise Broekman is the Founder and Managing Director of the Australian HR Coach Network. The HR Coach Network facilitates focus groups for business people and conduct national based research on SME’s. Contact: 1300 550 674; www.hrcoach.com.au; This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it