Hygiene is one thing that is very important to all humans. Proper grooming and healthy personal habits can prevent illnesses and give a good feeling.
This applies to businesses as well. Every business owner must focus on maintaining sound business hygiene.
These are issues and situations that have potential to weaken the processes and reduce business performance.
Some common business hygiene issues experienced by SMEs owners are:
1. Mismanagement of business fund
2. Absenteeism
3. Unchecked movement out of office
4. Staff colluding with vendors to defraud the business through inflated invoices
5. Training gaps
6. Bad staff attitude
7. Pricing issues
8. Overtime issues
9. Commission issues
10. Diversion of sales by company representatives
11. Debt recovery issues
12. Poor production planning
13. Inventory theft and damaged goods
14. Delivery problems
15. Communication and customer issues
16. Increasing staff turnover
17. Quality problems and many other issues.
Some hygiene issues are peculiar to some businesses and industries.
One characteristic of a hygiene problem is that it creeps into the system stealthily and in a small and inconsequential magnitude. Oftentimes, when left unchecked it starts to gradually penetrate the system until it becomes pervasive.
Business owners should not allow poor business hygiene issues to set him. They must maintain daily checks of the entire system. They must not tolerate an iota of a hygiene problem. Where found, it should be decisively handled and a reoccurrence should be prevented.