Cutting Costs in the Workplace: Making the Most of Free Resources
The marketplace is more competitive than ever and consumers are becoming increasingly frugal with their cash, so it’s not surprising that businesses the world over are looking for areas to cut costs in order to keep their company afloat. Many are opting for staff redundancies or are reluctantly having to increase the price of their goods to cover the costs of production, operations and brand marketing. If you are considering staff cuts, it is important for you to remember that your employees are the backbone of your company and you should attempt any alternative options available before laying anyone off. There are a surprising number of areas that businesses can make cuts in that are overlooked or dismissed. Remember, small cuts mount up and combined can end up saving you a small fortune. Here are a few free resources that you should make the most of that will allow you to make cuts elsewhere in the workplace without having any negative effect on your workforce.
Calendars
Most offices and business spaces have an abundance of calendars. Most employees will have one supplied on their desk and there will be more in communal areas. But why waste your business expenses on purchasing these when they are available for free from sites like dailyprintable.com? Sites such as this have a wide range of designs, all free of charge and ready to be printed as many times as you please? That’s a fair few dollars saved already.
Software Help
You don’t necessarily have to call in the professionals to give you information or train you in certain areas of computer software technology. There are plenty of helpful people out there who are happy to lend you their knowledge and wisdom for free. Make use of online forums. If you have had an issue, chances are that someone else has had it before and another helpful individual has solved the problem for them. Check out forums such as Microsoft Community, Experts Exchange or Mr. Excel for endless, free, online support. There are also websites dedicated solely to getting the most out of your software. Free web pages such as Indezine, to give just one example, focus on teaching web users lesser known features of programs (in this case, Powerpoint) to improve their work output.
Training
You don’t necessarily need to hire someone specifically to train you or your members of staff in basic skillsets. Youtube is awash with free online tutorials covering pretty much any area of work that you could possibly think of. All you need to do is spend a little time searching for the best video to suit your needs. Some are more effective or better communicated than others, so have a little patience. You will find what you need eventually and save yourself a fortune in the process.
So, it’s time to start being a little more vigilant and controlled when it comes to your spending. You will save significant amounts of cash in the long run and this will allow you to maintain staff, run your business effectively and perhaps even reduce the price of your stock for consumers.
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