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How to Create Guidelines and Manuals to Prevent Time Loss

Managing Employees

How to Create Guidelines and Manuals to Prevent Time Loss

Written by Brenda Stokes for Gaebler Ventures

Employees leave and this can result in the business falling into disarray. Luckily, you can take the time to create guidelines and manuals that will help other employees deal and will help the business to run smoothly.

When running a business, you have to have business guidelines for you and your employees to abide by. These guidelines can help you deal with a number of situations that can come about.

Business manuals are also great tools. You can create manuals for certain procedures within your business. You are the boss, so you know what to include in a manual. For instance, you may wish to create a procedural manual for operating the cash register and handling a customer transaction. Any specialty service within your business requires a manual and all tasks need guidelines.

Reasons to Create Guidelines and Manuals

There are a number of situations that may occur within your business. One of those things is employee turnover. The idea is to try and prevent employee turnover. When it can't be avoided, you have to find the best way to deal with it while finding the right person to fill the vacant position.

Guidelines and manuals can help employees feel secure with their jobs. Rather than wandering around aimlessly, wondering what the next move is when you are not around, the employee can refer to guidelines and manuals that are put in place.

Guidelines and manuals also help when you are in between employees because business operations can become rather stalled and this can make it difficult on you when you are trying to find a replacement for the vacant position. Even after you find a person to fill the position, he or she has to learn the job. This means everyone has to pick up the slack until that person learns their job.

How to Create Guidelines and Manuals

To create guidelines, you will need to evaluate the operations within your business, especially those that involve a process. Customer service is the perfect example. There are certain guidelines that make for great customer service. For instance, employees are to smile, repeat important points of a conversation back to the customer to show that the employee is listening, and the employee is to find a solution.

The solutions to many problems can be found in manuals. When you create manuals, you can expect for there to be some time involved, but they will save time in the future. An employee can refer to the business manuals when they have a question about what to do when a customer brings back an item to return or when the customer has a complaint.

Manuals are also used in explaining processes, such as how to charge a purchase to a credit card or how to operate a specific electronic item. A lot of time can be saved by knowing how to operate within the business.

Furthermore, make sure guidelines and manuals are in places where employees can easily find them. That way when presented with a pressuring situation, they are able to quickly find what they need to answer a question or perform a task. Not only will this be helpful when you are short staffed, but will help in the overall functionality of the business.

Brenda is a graduate of California State University and a professional writer covering a variety of business topics. To learn more about Brenda, check out her website at The Digital Inkwell.