While many consider severance agreements to be the domain of senior executives and white-collar workers, in fact they are increasingly becoming standard operating procedure in many industries, including the trades, when discharging employees of any type.
Hang around roofing contractors long enough and eventually you will come to understand the value in education. Education never really goes out of fashion in the roofing business. Today’s roofing contractors are faced with a mountain of educational needs.
My clients often engage my services to write copy for their brochures and Web sites. Most contractors believe they are promising a customer-driven experience. This was the case with one client who I had to challenge on that belief. I noted that the webspeak of his Internet site told a very different story. “Webspeak” is the language and implied message of your Web site.
Even without a recession, running a business can be an endless battle and constant firefight. I wish I had a crystal ball and could tell you everything is going to be OK. Unfortunately, no one can predict the future. I do know that groaning and moaning about the economy is not going to help you.
All of us have watched as the government has budgeted over $2 trillion to banks, insurance companies, federal and state governments, and struggling auto manufactures. Ever wonder where all this money is going or coming from? Of course, we will never see any “bailout” money gifted to support our small businesses, which drive job creation and pay the taxes to support the overall government and the economy. So what are small business owners to do?
If you are serious about building and running a service department that is a profit center for your company and not merely a necessary evil to support your installation work, there are business tools you can use to help ensure your success.
In 2001, backed by the National Academy of Sciences research report, Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Assistant Secretary Charles Jeffress stated to Congress that implementation of the recently passed Ergonomics Standard would prevent over 460,000 serious workplace injures and save the nation’s employers $9 billion each year.
A bizarre incident occurred near my community last winter that holds lessons for everyone in the business world. A suburban commuter train filled with hundreds of passengers during the morning rush was delayed for almost two hours while local police searched for a man aboard with a gun.
With the recent passing of Mr. Charlie Raymond, 87, of Florida, the roofing industry lost a titan. Out of the day-to-day business of being a roofing contractor for over 20 years, he never really “retired” from the roofing industry.
In the current economy we see more and more contractors losing money. It’s a no-brainer to cut your field force when you have nothing for them to do. Unfortunately, too many contractors mistakenly think that cutting field wages solves their cash problems.
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