Have you ever observed the number of available forks, knives and spoons in the drawer of your
office kitchen? Have you too realized that somehow, when it is time for you to have lunch, there
is either no clean utensils or none available at all?
Whether you have personally experienced this phenomenon or not, research shows that it is
quite more common than you might think. What’s more, this phenomenon even has a financial
impact on the department’s operational costs as the utensils need to be frequently replaced.
Now, think of the drawer as a support department within your business, and the utensils as a
metaphor for its staff. Is anyone missing? If your answer to this question is yes, then it’s time to
dig in deeper.
Unlike your core business departments, a support department does not generate revenue but
continuously generates costs. It takes time and resources to manage and excel in its
operations. Time and resources that you might not have or that perhaps you would like to invest
in your core business.
Now, if you are facing employee turnover within your support departments with just as speed as
you are replacing your forks in the kitchen drawer you are by default increasing the
department’s costs even more. Or the challenge you have is that all staff is occupied at their
maximum capacity just as more production is required in peak periods. Of course, there may be
many other underlying reasons for why your support department is not optimally performing, but
it is specifically therefore that you should consider outsourcing this department or at the very
least work with a direct consultant, like Sicon Revan, who can help you organize, structure and
strengthen your department.
Overall, by sharing the administrative and operational responsibilities of a support department it
may result in a balanced department, with motivated and engaged staff who can optimally
perform and a healthier workplace – one, where, all of you, can have lunch at peace with the
right utensil – and where the focus can return on the core activity of your business.