No, You Can’t Get Rid Of It Without A Plan!

In a society addicted to consumerism, more and more individuals have developed a habit of extreme decluttering. Everything – or everyone –  one doesn’t need is thrown away. It’s no surprise that Marie Kondo’s show on Netflix is a hit for the Millennial generation. Finally, we are taught what we need to keep, how to organise our belongings, and more importantly, what needs to disappear from our homes. Anything that doesn’t spark joy when you hold it has to go, according to Kondo. However, while she’s helping many to clear out their household and their lifestyles, she’s not the first to make the connection between consumerism and discardism – the art of getting rid of things.

However, while it might sound appealing to declutter your household from anything you don’t need using a bin bag, you can’t apply the same strategy to your business. Indeed, the elements that serve no purpose within the company should be removed via effective planning. You can’t just get rid of anything without a strategy.

Outsourcing everything you don’t want/can’t do

The first rule of improving your business productivity is to streamline your activities. At this level, business managers identify activities that are part of their offering versus time-consuming activities that are not linked to the core market presence. Time-consuming processes, from accounting to marketing tasks can be outsourced to free up valuable time for your expert activities. However, you can’t just send all the work you don’t want to do to your outsourcing facilities without careful planning. Indeed, you need to select an expert you can trust with the task; hence you have to invest time in finding the most suitable person. Additionally, you can’t outsource successfully without an appropriate brief. You have to make yourself available for queries too, especially if you want to ensure smooth integration to your processes.

It just does in the bin, right?

Almost 60% of businesses don’t keep any record on waste management. Consequently, this can make it difficult to effectively reduce your waste strategy or even support recycling activities. More importantly, lack of control leads to a casual approach to items that have reached their end of life. Too many companies provide little to no guidance when it comes to their day-to-day garbage, leaving it to their staff to figure it out for themselves. Unfortunately, without an appropriate waste disposal, your business has a dramatic impact on the environment. From potentially toxic products such as old ink cartridges to recyclable materials, you can’t continue throwing everything into the same bin bag!

You’re fired!

When you run a business, you need to remember that you have to comply with regulations when it comes to staff dismissal. Indeed, while it might be tempting to get rid of unhelpful or unpleasant employees with the cliché “You’re fired!” line, you need to ensure that you’ve established a clear case against the person. Unfair dismissal is not only taken very seriously by the Commission, but it can affect your business revenues and reputation.

While you might be tempted to follow Kondo’s decluttering strategy, you need to keep a clear mind when it comes to your business. Anything or anyone that you wish to remove from the business processes or premises should be submitted to a clear and thorough strategy, determining the best approach to follow and the most effective solution.