Production optimization means the introduction of innovative technologies and improvement of the work process. As a rule, such a modification is carried out in order to increase operational efficiency and reduce enterprise costs.

What is the optimization of production processes?

Production optimization is the elimination of shortcomings of an enterprise, focusing on the advantages of technology. The procedure involves going through three stages: planning, approval and implementation. It helps to reduce the number of management errors and shortcomings, reduce production costs, increase enterprise profits and operational efficiency. In addition, production optimization can be introduced in order to overcome the financial crisis. Its effectiveness will become faster and more obvious if it is aimed at the main technological processes.

Optimization of production management must be carried out in accordance with the approved plan, which indicates all stages and sequence of implementation. It is best to start by adjusting narrow functional aspects, then the risks of the enterprise are reduced and the possibility of returning to the previous course remains. As a rule, appropriate activities are carried out as soon as possible.

Optimization of production implies improvement of its structures, revision of their relationships and interactions (the functions of one division can be assigned to another). Typically, the result of such actions is: increased competitiveness, increased sales and profits of the enterprise, the formation of its positive image, but more on that later.

Remember that before carrying out reforms, it is necessary to analyze the features of the technology, formulate tasks, and create a business process diagram.

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What does optimization of production at an enterprise lead to?

Manufacturing companies optimize to improve their competitiveness and, using various instruments, reduce the cost item. However, it is not always possible to achieve the set goals. Sometimes it is worth reviewing the approach, methods and implementation methods in order to increase production efficiency and achieve the desired result. This conclusion was made by BCG (Boston Consulting Group) specialists after studying the experience of many industrial enterprises (including Russian ones).

The need to study the practice of increasing production efficiency arose when the competitiveness of Russian companies began to fall due to the fact that at the beginning of 2010, wage growth rates for personnel employed in industry did not correspond to the rate of increase in labor productivity.

The scale of the problem is shown by illustrating the dynamics of remuneration for enterprise specialists and the efficiency of their production. In China, the increase in staff compensation was twice as high as productivity, and in Russia - eight times. This indicates that the relative competitiveness of Russian industrial enterprises has decreased significantly (compared to similar companies in China). The decline was also influenced by the fact that the rate of decline in production exceeded the reduction in the number of employees.

In 2014, production costs for our industrialists reached American levels. A decade ago, one hour of work cost $7 in Russia and $18 in the USA, and today this ratio looks like this: in Russia - $21.9, in the USA - $22.32. The Boston Consulting Group provides data showing that Russian companies cannot produce goods cheaper than American ones due to increased wages and energy costs. Only competent optimization of production can change the situation.

Industrial companies are implementing various efficiency improvement programs using various methods and shapes. Many have achieved success in this process: they have reduced costs and increased profits, improved the quality of their goods, reduced delivery times, and increased employee engagement. Due to insufficiently streamlined optimization measures, a number of enterprises received local advantages. Companies that have achieved tangible results gradually lose their “fighting fire” without achieving the main goal - the integration of the entire business process or the application of the necessary techniques in all structural divisions.

After analyzing methods for successfully implementing optimization, experts concluded that an unsuccessful outcome can occur if:

• the specificity of departments and workshops is not taken into account;
• production optimization has not been fully calculated, that is, there is no clear sequence of using tools and the consequences have not been thought out;
• the focus is only on implementation methods;
• Instructions have not been developed for department heads on the basis of which they could manage the reorganization.

Practical experience suggests that by changing the approach to an efficiency improvement program, it can be intensified.

Let's look at an example. Industrial enterprise optimized production and achieved very high levels of productivity and product quality. However, after some time (3–4 years), the performance first stopped and then completely declined. Optimizing the production of this company involved measures that were not systematized, but were aimed at individual workshops. Following the analytical work, the possibility of a holistic approach was considered. The company gave the program a “second life.” Comparative analysis showed the need to prioritize plants, develop and implement a number of activities. Optimization of production costs allowed us to reduce costs by up to 15%:

• quickly redistributed enterprise resources and introduced opportunities to create maximum value;
• improved interaction between plants and identified deviations from norms, for example, indicators of efficiency factor (COP) and product yield were adjusted and began to be used to achieve effectiveness;
• identified the innovative methods used at the enterprise and systematized their implementation relative to the entire technological chain;
• production optimization was coordinated on a top-down basis, which made it possible to more efficiently distribute material resources.

• involve in work the most important factors influencing labor productivity;
• strive to achieve quick results;
• strictly follow a certain course, taking into account the capabilities of the enterprise.

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How to set production optimization tasks

Production optimization involves solving problems associated with competing properties of the technological process, such as:

• volume of production – consumption of raw materials;
• volume of production – quality of goods.

An effective solution lies in the process of finding a compromise for such properties.

To define reorganization tasks, you need to organize the following parameters.

1. Availability of an object and optimization goal. Objectives must be formulated separately for each reform object, that is, the system should not include more than one criterion, because the extreme values ​​of one parameter will not coincide with the marginal indicators of another.

An example of an incorrectly formulated task: “Achieve the highest possible productivity at the lowest possible cost of production.”

The mistake is that the problem is aimed at optimizing two quantities that, in fact, contradict one another.

The following formulation may be correct:

1. Achieve the highest possible productivity at the established cost of production.
2. Achieve minimum production costs with planned productivity.

In the first option, the reorganization is aimed at productivity, and in the second - at cost.

2. Availability of optimization resources. By resources it is meant that the selected object must have control influences, that is, a certain degree of freedom.

3. Possibility of quantitative analysis of the optimized value. It is possible to evaluate the effectiveness of optimization and compare the effectiveness of one or another control action only when there are specific quantitative indicators.

What are the methods for optimizing production?

At the present stage, optimization of production costs is possible using a variety of techniques and strategies. All of them are more or less successfully applied in practice and are divided into three main categories:

1. Bottom-up method.
2. Reengineering method.
3. Directive approach method.

Bottom-up approach carried out in relation to many processes in the enterprise by improving methodology and technology. Moreover, the company structure and main production stages are not affected; optimization concerns ordinary departments. Reengineering is based on fundamental changes introduced into the business process, technology and organization of production in order to achieve a qualitatively new level. The directive approach method involves reducing the funding of enterprise divisions by a certain amount.

Bottom-up cost reduction is the ideal technique for achieving long-term cost advantages without requiring large investments or risks. The implementation of the program is based on the principle of involving the maximum number of enterprise employees in the reorganization at all stages of implementation (development and implementation of proposals to increase labor productivity and improve the efficiency of technological processes, increase quality indicators at all stages of product production).

For example, production cost optimization was carried out by implementing the idea of ​​sealing rolling mill roller table bearings to eliminate oil washout and extend service life. The result of this modernization was a savings of about 20-30 thousand dollars. But if there are a hundred similar ideas, then in annual terms the effect will amount to more than one million dollars. As a rule, such rationalization proposals are on the surface; you just have to pay attention to them.

Almost all companies can optimize costs and increase production efficiency. So why don't they do it? Most likely, the reason is the organizational complexity of the process.

Several decades ago, a number of companies faced a similar problem when working with clients. The result of solving the issue was the development of methods for organizing and implementing large projects at enterprises aimed at reducing costs from the bottom up. The program was called “TOP” - total production optimization. It is based on the experience of the world's leading companies and is constantly being improved. The results of an analysis of the effectiveness of the implementation of TOP show that optimization of production costs led to a 16 percent reduction in total costs at metallurgical, mining and pulp and paper enterprises.

Reengineering- one of the most effective methods aimed at increasing competitiveness and reducing enterprise costs. This method requires a significant investment and takes a lot of time, which may cancel the expected effect. In addition, key processes and technologies used in basic manufacturing industries have already exhausted their resources and cannot be radically optimized. All this suggests that an enterprise contemplating reengineering needs to think about reducing a number of operating costs in order to remain competitive while carrying out serious measures aimed at increasing production efficiency.

Directive approach is often the most effective and fastest. Despite the effectiveness of this method, it very often suffers from a lack of strategic priorities. Reducing the budget of departments can lead to the fact that the enterprise will not make a profit, its income will stop growing, and its place in the market will be lost. The directive approach should be applied selectively in relation to those structures that show their inefficiency (for example, in comparison with competitors, a large staff of HR employees).

A clear example of production optimization

Today, large-scale optimization of the production process is carried out at some Russian metallurgical enterprises. For example, at the Vyskunsky Metallurgical Plant, as part of the program, 270 rationalization proposals were introduced, the effectiveness of which amounted to $30 million over two years.

The Porsche automobile company, as a result of the use of innovations, has significantly reduced the time of welding work (from six weeks to three days) and the number of defects (four times).

Optimization of Goodyear's tire production is carried out through the implementation of a program aimed at reducing production cycle time. Thus, the company strives to increase productivity by 135%. As a result of the implementation of measures, costs for inventories were reduced by half, and for raw materials - by 15%.

The Khortytsia company has optimized enterprise management using the Oracle J.D. ERP-class program. Edwards EnterpriseOne. Moreover, the implementation of this project at the distillery was carried out with the involvement of department specialists and external consultants. Further development of innovations in the company continued on its own.

McKinsey’s practice gives grounds to conclude that the “bottom-up” methodology can be effective, when in order to optimize production, company employees were motivated to rationalize their activities. Such a program can reduce enterprise costs by up to 40% within a year and a half.

Basic principles of optimizing production at an enterprise

It was said above that the most effective production optimization program is implemented according to the TOP scheme. Now we will look at this method in a little more detail.

The techniques of this program are absolutely different from other optimization methods. First of all, because when using it, changes concern not only production efficiency, but also the performance of the company’s employees and their motivation. Thus, the program is aimed at long-term application.

A complex approach

From the name it follows that the method implies a set of goals: reducing costs, increasing labor productivity and product quality. In this case, efficiency is achieved by expanding divisions with low production indicators and obtaining additional profits due to the fact that a high-quality product replaces a lower-quality predecessor. For example, at one metallurgical plant, during the implementation of TOP, they implemented a proposal to replace lifting mechanisms moving sheet steel rolls. Optimization of foundry production was effective, as the edges of the rolls were better preserved (by 80%), and, naturally, the quality of the product increased. This gave the company the opportunity to attract new consumers, increase the number of products produced and increase the company's income.

Identify specific cost reduction goals

Specific goals are based on analysis of leading industry enterprises. At the stage of starting the implementation of TOP, structural divisions are given the task of reducing budgeted costs by 40%. Moreover, cost reduction calculations are made separately for each sector, taking into account its specifics. Metal raw materials are a quantity that cannot be reduced, but the production waste that is inevitable in the production of slabs can be reduced. When it is not possible to determine the volume of irreducible costs, then they focus on the indicators of companies that are successful in this industry. As a rule, 40% of expenses cut equals 15–20% total costs. Of course, such optimization of production costs is a tough method, especially since the process is carried out without any special additional investments. But achieving the goal is quite possible, since this has been practically confirmed by many foreign and domestic enterprises. If a division manages to achieve its objectives, then it stands head and shoulders above its competitors (even if they are considered more successful).

Use of existing know-how

Unit managers are mainly responsible for the organization and implementation of TOP. Typically, they are more competent in the specifics of the company's departments and know which of them have the greatest potential for increasing efficiency and which ways to optimize production are best to use. If you involve allied partners and clients of these structures in the process of implementing TOP, you can give a more accurate assessment of the effectiveness of the process. The fact that employees' ideas are used during the implementation of the program allows them to feel involved in the life of the company. And this has a beneficial effect on the corporate mentality and sets the stage for long-term fruitful cooperation.

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Using unconventional ideas

When the program is implemented, many common truths are called into question. As a rule, the experience of leading companies and the most successful production optimization models are used as a guide. For example, during an efficiency improvement program at a steel mill, a proposal was implemented to increase the number of tanks used for slag collection. It seemed impossible, but the number of containers used has increased 10 times thanks to the introduction of an unconventional technique of spraying with a heat-resistant composition. Performance was accurately tracked.

Clear results tracking

The conditions for optimizing production require that all proposals accepted for execution be applied strictly in accordance with the plan and have a specific result that can be measured (for example, reduce the budget of a structural unit for the purchase of consumables, raw materials, etc.).

To track the progress of the program and the implementation of plans, a controlling group is created. She is given broad powers and the opportunity to communicate with senior management. The group is faced with a number of tasks, the key of which is to determine the economic efficiency of the implementation of TOP, distinguishing it from all other changes in the budget that may be due to instability of the exchange rate, fluctuations in prices for raw materials and consumables and other factors.

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How many levels does a production optimization project have?

During the reorganization process, the company’s efficiency gradually increases, its qualifications develop, and it begins to use the accumulated advantages. Production optimization involves passing through three levels of maturity, and enterprises that have approached this process competently overcome them systematically, gradually moving from one stage to another.

Of course, each company implements the optimization process in its own way, being at its own stage of development (maturity level), having an individual improvement plan.

First level of production optimization

At this stage, the basis of the production optimization system is formed. The work is aimed at analyzing best practices, diagnosing the actual situation of technological processes, setting goals and formulating tasks for increasing efficiency. Moreover, a thorough study is carried out in relation to key indicators for several KPIs that underlie high productivity (these are, as a rule, equipment and production lines).

Experts are looking for alternative ways reducing production losses by increasing efficiency and quality, reducing costs and the time required to complete the full production cycle. At this stage, it is very important to have not only theoretical knowledge, but also to be able to apply it in practice (set up equipment and maintain it in working order), so that it is possible to quickly improve the functioning of individual structural units (factories).

By streamlining the operation of key facilities and processes in the enterprise, such as equipment, logistics and management, you can quickly move from the first level of production optimization (basic) to the next more mature stage.

Second level of production optimization (more mature)

Production optimization moves to a new level if, after the implementation of basic methods and technological processes is completed, the modernization of individual workshops and the company as a whole begins. At this stage, specific standards are developed, favorable conditions are created, experts are attracted and work begins. practical application theoretical knowledge. All this is necessary in order not to lose the positive experience accumulated during the work process. Typically, a more mature stage takes longer, requires a systematic approach and better organization of employees.

At the second level, optimization of the production structure as a whole begins. As a result, the company achieves cost reductions that do not affect the value of the product itself, in other words, production costs are reduced by up to 15% (with the exception of raw materials and other components), material losses are reduced to almost zero.

Companies suffer due to a lack of specific skills, management experience, expert teams to support new product introductions, or a specific division of responsibilities. This conclusion can be made if we take into account the fact that enterprises often simply do not pay attention to the most important points related to organization and management tools, labor resources, qualifications and professional competence employees.

Measures to optimize production should include mandatory improvement of personnel skills, their specialized training, for example, in the field of loss analysis or waste control in the production process, in the field of technical support, etc. According to experts, in order to organize an effective commodity business, it will take at least three years (or even five).

If production optimization has yielded a small but significant result, and the complex has not been fully implemented, activities can be accelerated in order to move to the second (more mature) level. Experts believe that tangible effectiveness can be achieved only if the developed program is systematically and systematically implemented in the presence of professional management.

Third level of production optimization

Third level activities are carried out in companies that are able to evaluate the effectiveness obtained as a result of the work done, and do not stop there, but continue to act in the direction of improving the functionality of production: they are reviewing the supply and implementation system, the planning scheme, etc. Thus, enterprises move to the next stage, at which not only the optimization of the product production process occurs, but also more complex tools are used ( comprehensive planning, reorganization of management, specification of technological cycles, etc.).

Typically, companies that have moved to the third level of optimization have full knowledge of costs that do not affect the value of the product. By this time, technological processes had already been reorganized. The efficiency of structural divisions, plants and equipment meets the requirements of world quality standards, and the company’s development is possible through production, which has become the main source of income. By this stage, innovative technologies for product segmentation and management strategies have already been developed and implemented, planning of the main process and implementation has been improved.

Of course, moving to a new level is a complex procedure, but if production optimization is carried out consistently, the company will certainly increase its potential.

If an enterprise strives to achieve more significant results, then it begins to reorganize management and maintenance, because large expenses in this part of the activity can significantly reduce the profitability of the business as a whole. Experts note that to overcome the milestone of the first or second level of optimization, companies implement short targeted programs, and for the third they use a wide range of innovative technologies.

Return to the first level of production optimization

Modeling and optimization of production is unrealistic without overcoming a number of difficulties, but they cannot be a reason to give up on everything, because it is possible to achieve efficiency one way or another. To do this, you will need to go back to the basic level and implement shorter programs that cover a smaller range of tasks. If you use a controlling system, then with rapid optimization, efficiency can be achieved in the shortest possible time (up to several days). This technique is recommended by experts who have sufficient work experience and have seen this in practice.

The main thing is that production optimization is carried out using the most effective levers. It is necessary to carefully study everything and draw conclusions about which methods should be used at the moment and which ones - later. To do this you need:

• establish the predominant probability of obtaining efficiency in terms of time, resource size and material benefits;
• concentrate resources that may be in short supply on production areas selected for rapid optimization;
• prepare coordinated measures for the speedy implementation of innovative methods in departments within which production optimization is carried out;
• create conditions that motivate employees to work efficiently and justify certain risks.

As practice shows, the most successful rapid reorganization can be carried out in 5 areas:

1. Optimize the use of equipment by increasing its operating efficiency, improving the quality of service and reducing downtime.
2. Optimize the efficiency of workpieces by reducing losses that arise due to insufficient equipment capacity.
3. Reorganize logistics by increasing work activity storage facilities and reducing transportation costs.
4. Optimize materials and materials by more accurately calculating production volumes, orienting them to projected demand, which will help streamline the movement and potential of raw materials.

The planned program will be successful if a small number of specific tools are introduced into the most effective segments of the enterprise. According to experts, rapid performance is observed in the following production areas:

• improving equipment performance;
• staff development;
• reducing the number of defective products.

All of the above areas can be analyzed and, as a rule, do not require large investments. In addition, in these areas there is always potential for optimization of the firm's production volumes to be effective.

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Total production optimization: 6 stages of implementation

Stage No. 1. Organization of the process

Organizing the TOP process is the most important stage. It is during this period of work that the areas of activity that will be targeted for production optimization are identified, the responsibilities of managers and team members are distributed, and participants in the process are trained.

The scope of reorganization can include both small structural divisions and larger segments of the enterprise. Typically, no more than 300 people are involved in the life support of the optimized unit. The process is usually led by managers or their deputies in these departments.

The key indicator for their selection is the desire to take part in optimization, respect of the team and, naturally, the professional preparedness and intellectual abilities of the candidate. It is worth motivating managers by providing them with the opportunity to implement ideas that have not previously been used due to various objective reasons.

In addition, it is necessary to give a chance to show their potential to team members (working group) and the head administration. Optimization of production costs becomes the responsibility of group leaders: development of proposals, efficiency calculations, approval by higher management. The organization of the TOP process, as a rule, has the following form:

Stage No. 2. Setting goals

The key task of this stage is to determine the cost reduction goal. It is recommended to start by calculating the budget per unit of production. This phase can be simplified: during the formation of units, one must focus on what organizational division is established in the enterprise and on the methodology for accounting finances. When the budget of the facility is determined, a scheme for optimizing production, receipt of raw materials and materials is drawn up. The costs of each production unit are divided among all operations and thus the approximate cost of an individual business process is found.

After this, all costs are divided into two groups: technical and operational (i.e., energy and raw materials), irreducible costs and costs not considered in the project (for example, depreciation) are identified. Typically, some portion of operational and technical costs falls into the category of non-reducible costs, the value of which is determined using theoretical calculations of the least needs. In other words, they calculate the minimum acceptable level of use of raw materials and energy, provided there is no waste, leakage, etc. All other costs of the enterprise belong to the group of those that can be reduced.

When everything is done necessary calculations(the budget of departments and workshops has been established, irreducible costs have been determined), then a new goal is set for production units - to reduce the remaining costs by 40%. To achieve it, the head of the department and his support team must develop economically sound rationalization proposals, the effectiveness of which will be at least 40% of the budget subject to reduction.

Stage No. 3. Development of proposals to reduce costs

Brainstorming is a key method that allows you to select an idea on the basis of which production will be optimized in terms of costs. The event is organized and conducted by the head of the structural unit with the participation of members initiative group, department employees, subcontractors and customers. As a rule, the result of this work is a large number of improvement proposals and ideas that are aimed at reducing enterprise costs, increasing production efficiency and improving the quality level of products. Please note that absolutely everything is taken into account, even the most fantastic statements, because the goal of the assault is to develop the largest number of ideas (the question of their quality is not raised).

All received proposals must be recorded, formalized and entered into the database, after which they undergo a procedure for testing for effectiveness (an assessment of the possible financial result is given, the level of risk, timing and degree of complexity of implementing the program are determined). If, as a result of the brainstorming, a solution has not been developed that will reduce production costs by 40%, then there is a need to conduct an additional survey of employees of the departments on the basis of which optimization is planned, attract experts and study the experience of leading companies - representatives of your industry.

Stage No. 4. Evaluation of submitted proposals

At this stage, an assessment is made of the complexity of implementing ideas for optimizing production: the volume of capital investments is clarified, the effectiveness of implementation (including economic) is determined, issues are agreed upon with suppliers, subcontractors and other participants in the process. As work progresses, sentences are replaced. In a word, there is a constant interweaving of the third and fourth stages.

The result of this phase should be a ready-made list of ideas, the implementation of which will make the production process and production optimization as efficient as possible. Moreover, the investment should pay off within two years of operation.

V. Gagarsky Head of the direction “Regulation and optimization of the management system” of the Nevskaya Consulting Company, practicing business coach

Optimizing the number of personnel is one of the methods for reducing business costs

The purpose of any business is to generate profit for its owners over a sufficiently long period of time. From this truism it follows that a business owner always strives to increase revenue and reduce costs. Thus, the main task of any businessman is to increase the economic efficiency of his business, that is, in fact, its profitability.

There are two ways to increase business profitability: either by increasing revenue or reducing costs. Of course, there is a certain connection between these two indicators. But in modern conditions, characterized by fierce competition for consumers and oversaturation of the market, it can be extremely difficult to increase turnover and prices for products, therefore one of the most important ways increasing business efficiency is reducing costs.

Typically, the problem of cost reduction is approached as follows. First, it is necessary to analyze the cost structure and select those cost items that make the greatest contribution to costs. Secondly, we need to determine which cost items can, in principle, be reduced, and to what extent we can manage these costs. Let’s say the cost item “raw materials” makes up 50% of the total cost structure, but if we cannot find suppliers with more low prices, then it is extremely difficult to reduce this item to any significant extent for a given volume of output and without changing production technology.

One of the expense items that can be reduced within certain limits is personnel costs. They include not only the payroll and payroll contributions, but also:

• expenses for social package and benefits for employees;
• expenses for industrial training and retraining of employees;
• costs of selecting candidates and hiring;
• safety costs;
• The cost of maintaining workplaces, including the cost of work clothes, lighting, heating, cleaning of workplaces, etc.;
• other types of personnel costs specific to each enterprise.

Therefore, by optimizing the number of personnel, we reduce not only the payroll and deductions from it, but also all other costs associated with personnel, which should be remembered.

The essence of optimizing the number of personnel is that it is necessary to reduce the number of personnel working at the enterprise to a minimum, subject to two restrictions:

• Guaranteed high-quality implementation of the specified production program must be ensured;
• Personnel costs should not exceed a certain predetermined amount.

Thus, when they talk about optimizing the number of personnel, they primarily mean reducing it. The excess number was partly due to the social policy of the USSR, when the state sought to ensure 100 percent employment of the population, and enterprises were created precisely with this in mind. But in our opinion, a more serious factor in the increased number of personnel is worn-out equipment and not the most modern technologies, due to which it is necessary to maintain a large number of repair and maintenance personnel.

It is especially important to emphasize that a reduction in the number of personnel should take place at least without reducing production efficiency, and even better - if with an increase. As a rule, this is achieved by introducing new equipment and technology in production, and optimizing business processes in the management apparatus.

So, when we have decided that optimizing the number of personnel in a given organization or enterprise is necessary, a logical question arises: what is the best way to do this?

Methods and approaches to optimizing the number of personnel

Optimizing the number of company personnel should be treated as a separate project that needs to be planned, that is, determine the scope of work, their sequence, deadlines and those responsible for completing each task.

First of all, it is necessary to carry out a diagnosis current state cases in the area of ​​labor productivity and headcount. It is necessary to systematize and analyze the number of personnel in the company by division, taking into account the functions performed by the division and the actual workload (intensity and duration of work). Based on the conclusions obtained during this analysis, a number of measures can be proposed to optimize business processes. In addition, it is useful to think about upgrading equipment and introducing advanced production technologies. All these measures will make it possible to immediately identify those jobs that are subject to reduction as unnecessary.

Next, you should calculate the optimal number of personnel required for the high-quality implementation of the production program, taking into account the optimization of administrative and production processes. Determination of the optimal number of personnel is made using one or another method of rationing the number. Comparing the current number of personnel with the optimal one, we obtain the number of personnel in each department that needs to be reduced. However, we can talk not only about reduction, but also about redistribution of personnel among structural units, if this is due to the need to strengthen individual departments.

After this, it is necessary to plan a reduction program in which two difficult and painful questions need to be answered: “WHO?” And How?" needs to be reduced. Moreover, answering the first question is perhaps easier and simpler than answering the second. Although the first question, as practice shows, is not so simple. For example, the Labor Code of the Russian Federation directly states that in the event of a reduction in numbers or staff, employees with higher labor productivity and qualifications have an advantage in remaining at work (Article 179). Article 261 of the Labor Code of the Russian Federation provides guarantees to pregnant women and women with children under 3 years of age, single mothers with children under 14 years of age or with a disabled person under 18 years of age, as well as other persons raising these children without a mother. Such employees are subject to a ban on dismissal at the initiative of the administration, with the exception of cases of liquidation of the organization. In this case, it may turn out that the listed persons do not have the highest labor productivity, nevertheless, the employer is obliged to keep them at work. Therefore, when choosing candidates for dismissal, such nuances must be taken into account.

Answer the question “WHO?” It will be easier if we accept the concept of the so-called “personnel core” and “personnel periphery.” Any manager intuitively understands that the core personnel are those employees without whom the work simply cannot be done efficiently. That is, the personnel core is the employees:

• participating in the main business processes of the company;
• bringing the company the greatest profit (or minimizing the company’s expenses);
• those with the highest labor productivity and qualifications;
• specialists who, due to their knowledge, skills and experience, find it difficult to quickly find a replacement in the labor market;
• demonstrating high potential and dynamic professional development.

Accordingly, the personnel periphery is all other employees. Of course, the personnel periphery also performs certain functions, but if any crisis occurs, the personnel periphery can be disposed of without serious consequences for the business, and then, if necessary, new “peripheral” personnel can be recruited.

Let's look at a simple example. The team working on sawing chipboard (chipboard) consists of a sawing machine operator, three auxiliary workers who pull the sawn parts from the machine and place them in stacks, and a forklift driver who brings the chipboard to the machine and takes the stacks of parts to the warehouse. In this case, the “personnel core” of the team will be the machine operator and the loader driver, as the most qualified workers, and the auxiliary workers will be the “personnel periphery”, since they are easy to replace if necessary. The example, of course, is quite conventional, but it illustrates the principle of separating the core and periphery. If you modernize the equipment, you can ensure automatic stacking of sawn chipboard parts into stacks, and then auxiliary workers will not be required in this team at all.

When potential candidates for dismissal have been identified, it is necessary to select methods by which staffing or headcount reduction will be carried out. There are two fundamentally different approaches to reducing numbers, which can be called “hard” and “soft”.

The “hard” approach is a classic staff reduction: a certain crisis occurs, a decision is made to reduce costs by reducing staff, ineffective jobs are identified, employees are warned two months in advance about dismissal, they are paid the compensation required under the Labor Code and fired. Thus, the reduction procedure occurs quite quickly, and with relatively low costs (severance compensation). However, this approach has more disadvantages than advantages. Firstly, in the case of quick and hard cuts, there is a risk of a mistake, which will result in conflicts for the enterprise, both with the dismissed personnel and with trade unions. Secondly, in the case of a city-forming enterprise, the emergence of mass unemployment may result in increased social tension in the region, and this, in turn, may affect relations with the regional administration. Thirdly, the moral climate in the rest of the team is deteriorating—hard layoffs do not add loyalty to employees. And this ultimately affects a decrease in labor productivity.

“Soft” methods of staff reduction are based on the desire to avoid direct layoffs on the initiative of the administration; their essence is to create conditions for stimulating a “natural” reduction in the number of personnel. “Soft” methods are aimed at preventing such situations when mass layoffs are required.

All “soft” methods can be divided into three groups:

• “natural” disposal;
• "soft" reduction;
• headcount management without reductions.

“Natural” staff attrition

“Natural” attrition of personnel is such methods in which personnel leave on their own, on their own initiative, and the task of the administration is to create some conditions for this. The easiest way is to temporarily prohibit the hiring of new employees by issuing an appropriate order. At the same time, there will be a natural loss of staff: someone will quit for personal reasons, someone will want to retire, etc. However, if the turnover of personnel at the enterprise is not very significant, then you should not rely too much on this method. Retirement of employees who have reached retirement age is also one of the options for natural retirement. Of course, we are talking about the voluntary decision of the employee himself - the pensioner. Retirement can be stimulated by lump sum payments to such employees, or by participation in a corporate pension program.

The most “tough” of the methods of “natural” retirement is stimulating layoffs due to at will by tightening the personnel certification procedure and modernizing the material incentive system. If an employee does not pass the next certification, he is subject to either dismissal due to inadequacy of the position held, or transfer to a position corresponding to his qualifications (i.e., paid lower). Both encourage employees to quit on their own. Naturally, when subsequently hiring, the employee himself is interested in work book there was no record of dismissal due to inadequacy for the position held. In addition, you can “punish with rubles” employees who violate labor discipline, that is, deprive them of bonuses for relevant offenses, if such a possibility is reflected in the Regulations on bonuses. Well, in cases involving repeated failure to comply without good reason or gross violation of labor duties, employees are subject to dismissal at the initiative of the administration (Article 81, clauses 5 and 6 of the Labor Code of the Russian Federation).

"Soft" reduction

We include the following methods of “soft” reduction:

• use of early preferential pension programs;
• transfer of some personnel to subsidiary business units;
• encouraging voluntary dismissals through an attractive compensation system and support for further employment.

Early preferential pension programs are aimed at reducing the number of employees approaching retirement age. The principle is that such an employee is offered an agreement according to which the employee will be paid part (say, 75%) of his average salary during the period remaining until he reaches retirement age, but he must not work either at the enterprise itself or elsewhere.

A good way to restructure a business, one of the results of which is precisely the optimization of the number of personnel, is to separate non-core activities into subsidiaries of the parent company. As a rule, there are various service departments: repair, transport, etc. divisions. The relevant personnel are transferred to these subsidiaries. This can significantly reduce the headcount of the parent company. Typically, the parent company initially supports its “daughter” by providing it with a certain volume of orders. However, it is important that the “daughter” work in conditions competition and was forced to reduce prices for its services for the parent company. Otherwise, the costs of the parent company will even increase, since the subsidiary includes all its expenses in the price of its services, which increase taking into account the spin-off.

Incentivizing voluntary dismissals through an attractive system of compensation and assistance in further employment (so-called outplacement) is especially relevant for city-forming enterprises. Nowadays it is customary to talk a lot about the social responsibility of business, and this is exactly the case when social responsibility must be present. As one of the options, the employee is offered compensation greater than what he would have been entitled to upon dismissal due to staff reduction. This may encourage the employee to resign on their own.

Support for further employment is linked to investments in creating new jobs in the region. Such programs are created in close cooperation with the local administration to stimulate the development of small businesses. For example, a company may offer an interest-free loan to redundant employees so that they can start a business.

Businesses can also rent out their unused premises to entrepreneurs, who will also create additional jobs. For example, you can create a workshop for sewing workwear (as a separate company), and hire previously reduced support staff. And there can be many similar options.

Managing headcount and personnel costs without making cuts is the most promising way to avoid the need for dismissal at the initiative of the administration. For example, for temporary or seasonal work it is better to use fixed-term employment contracts. Of course, you should use this tool very carefully - you must be prepared, if necessary, to justify that the work is indeed temporary.

You can also attract specialists under contract agreements for certain work, and you can also think about outsourcing some of the functions altogether.

In the event of a sudden crisis, when it is necessary to sharply reduce costs, you can transfer staff to part-time or part-time work. However, the experience of using this method in the mid-90s at Russian enterprises suggests that this is really an extreme measure and not very effective in the long term. Part-time or part-time work essentially means hidden unemployment with all its attendant disadvantages.

The method of transferring individual units and brigades to internal self-financing has been undeservedly forgotten. This method was actively promoted during the perestroika period. The brigade is assigned a certain wage fund for a specified amount of work, and the brigade independently distributes this fund among its employees. This motivates the team to get rid of ineffective workers. It is important not to cut the team’s wage fund, because otherwise this method will not work.

By using “soft” methods of downsizing, the company solves two problems - it reduces personnel costs, and at the same time ensures the loyalty of both remaining and former employees. Of course, some of these methods are associated with additional costs for implementing a reduction program (compared to “hard” reductions), but they avoid the disadvantages inherent in staff reductions initiated by the administration.

Implementation of the personnel optimization program

In order not to be unfounded, we can give an example of solving issues of staff reduction, in which the author personally took part as an invited consultant. The utility's subsidiary, which I am not allowed to name under the terms of a confidentiality agreement, was spun off on January 1, 2004. This subsidiary provided engineering and technical services to the parent power system and third-party contractors. The number of personnel at that time was 65 people. Based on the results of the first quarter, the company showed a loss from its activities, and the company's management began to take steps to determine the reasons for this situation. The management's attention focused on the largest division of the company - the Design Bureau, which numbered 28 people (43% of the total number of the entire company). At this stage, consultants were invited who were asked to understand the activities of this division and propose measures to reduce its costs.

First of all, a matrix of department functions was constructed, describing the distribution of functions among employees and allowing one to analyze their workload. In addition, statistics on the design and calculation work carried out by the Design Bureau for previous periods were collected and analyzed, including in terms of financial results. It was found out, in particular, that the PKB payroll exceeded the revenue from completed projects, that is, this division was clearly unprofitable. In parallel with this, an assessment of the PKB staff was carried out in order to determine their professional potential and ability to work more intensively in new conditions. As a result, a “personnel core” and a “personnel periphery” were identified within the PKB. Based on the analysis, the management of the enterprise was proposed the following scheme of action: to reduce the staff of the department by 40% (indicating specific candidates), while in order to reduce the risks of non-fulfillment of projects, actively attract students from the local architectural institute for practical training, who could, under the supervision of experienced specialists perform simple design work. It was determined that the majority (57%) of the projects carried out by the PKB were quite simple, that is, the approach involving trainees was justified.

In addition, a project method for managing design bureau work was proposed, with clear monitoring of compliance with project plans, in order to increase the speed of work completion.

These proposals were presented to the company's management, they agreed with them and carried out a number of measures, as a result of which personnel costs were reduced and labor productivity increased.

Optimizing the number of personnel is a difficult and painful tool for reducing company costs. If you apply it carefully, after a comprehensive analysis of the current situation and forecast of the consequences, it will work effectively and give the expected results. But it would be even better to build the organizational structure and management system of the company in such a way that it would be possible to prevent situations when it is necessary to reduce the number of personnel.

How to carry out SEO optimization of a website?

What is needed for search engine optimization and website promotion? First of all, this is, of course, unique content. After all, placing a website on the first pages of search results for certain queries is a fundamentally important issue for its normal functioning and further development. Of course, you can just sit and wait until the search engines themselves begin to index the pages of your web resource, but it is best to do this process yourself. Search engine optimization, as a rule, must begin directly with the creation of the site. Thus, its development, design, structure, as well as user interface should follow the rules of SEO. Consequently, you will need to initially carefully consider the entire design of the site, the links within it, as well as the hierarchy of pages. Price for SEO services in last years allows many users to seek the help of professionals in this matter who have the necessary skills and knowledge in this area. Thus, all SEO optimization will be carried out for you; in this case, you will only need to pay for these services.

However, what is SEO optimization? SEO (search engine optimization) is a whole set of measures that is aimed at raising the position of a specific Internet resource in search engine results for certain key queries of Internet users. Thus, the higher your site is in the search results, the more targeted visitors will go to it.

How to optimize a website?

After creating the site, you will need to start filling it with text. In this case, the texts should be written both for site visitors and for search robots. It is worth noting that SEO optimized articles should be written with carefully thought out titles that relate to the topic of your website, as well as the inclusion of the desired keywords. As a result, these articles will be the main engine of your resource in the long run. In texts with a volume of approximately 2-3 thousand characters, keywords should be repeated about 3-5 times, and one of the repetitions should be included in the title of the article. You will learn about the principles of writing SEO-friendly articles below.

In addition to writing articles, you will need to determine the semantic core of the site, i.e. those queries for which it will be necessary to optimize the website in search engines. Moreover, all this must obey a number of rules. So, first of all, it should be noted that the number of keywords should not occupy more than 5 percent of the total text volume, the most optimal quantity There are 3 repetitions of the same query. In addition, the query must be used in the first 300 characters of the text. Most attention Indexing systems pay attention to the first third of the text and the last, but as for the middle, these systems are more indifferent to it.

Website optimization will be more successful if key queries are highlighted in bold or included in the subheading or heading. In addition, search robots pay attention to the links within an Internet resource, i.e. The more links there are, the higher your website will appear in the search results.

Principles of writing SEO-friendly texts

When writing texts for SEO optimization of a website, first of all you will need to choose the right keywords. After all, search engines will identify the content of your site using keywords. The next principle is readability, i.e. as described above, the article needs to be written not only for search engines, but also for site readers. Also pay attention to thematic content, because when using keywords, it is important to keep the article relevant.

The next principle is the placement and number of keywords (this has already been mentioned above). Also remember to make clear and short paragraphs, and use numbering or bullets throughout the text. Also, to compose a high-quality article, it is necessary to create subheadings. The remaining principles include proper linking, avoiding repetition, and correcting what is written.

How to analyze competitors' websites

For any entrepreneur, the issue of costs and their reduction is a priority in managing his company. Often, a personnel issue develops into a whole problem, since emotional issues are also mixed in with economic factors. But the main problem is the misconception that human resources are often viewed solely in terms of costs, and not at all as a source of resources and new opportunities.

Personnel management – the most important aspect management in an enterprise, because it is people who make processes move and events happen. However, like any other action in the field of management, the regulation of processes in human resource management has quantitative and quite countable characteristics. Namely, the marginal productivity of labor is a state when production has a maximum output and cannot grow any further with the existing amount of capital. As a result, it is formed necessary set workers, the very number and composition with which this state (of maximum productivity) is sustainable.

However, allowing yourself to identify these rare conditions empirically Not every entrepreneur can afford it. Firstly, it is simply dangerous: if you fire unnecessary people, and they turn out to be necessary, then you can easily lose competent personnel. And secondly, if you hire someone, and the person turns out to be superfluous, i.e., one could do without him, if, for example, the structure of job responsibilities simply changes, then his salary will cause pressure on the budget.

Optimizing the number of personnel at an enterprise is a process that is inextricably linked not only with budget planning. The level of individual labor productivity depends on it. Therefore, it is extremely important to create conditions under which the staff will be balanced, and each worker would have an incentive to increase their output. Activities aimed at achieving the presented goal, the most important for the existence of the enterprise, will be discussed in this article.

Optimizing labor in an enterprise by identifying individual productivity

If you start optimizing labor collective, then you need to be prepared that some of the staff will be fired. (Such news spreads quickly!) The reduction of job positions is an inextricably linked process with reforms in the personnel sector. Should we re-emphasize how risky and difficult it is to hire and fire? Therefore, before making personnel decisions, it is necessary to analyze the overall structure of the business.

1. It is necessary to highlight the core that is directly related to the creation of surplus value, as well as the so-called. periphery - service personnel.

   Attention! Service personnel should not be understood only as cleaners or accountants. An example is an aircraft assembly plant. The working personnel involved in the maintenance of the wind tunnel can be considered as an auxiliary service.

   It is necessary to make such a gradation in order to understand which categories of workers can be parted with (without the plant simply stopping), and which department is, in fact, inviolable, i.e., it cannot be reduced in any way without losing the production potential of the company.

2. It is necessary to conditionally distribute the share of the company’s income, for example, for a year among the structural divisions that make up the organization, gradually reducing the scale.

   Ideally, you need to bring this distribution to the personal value of each employee. Having in hand the results of the division into “core” and “periphery”, this will be easier to do.

   Important! To carry out such an analysis, it is necessary that the most efficient financial accounting already exists. Under no circumstances should you begin to “personify shares of revenue” if there is no objective and up-to-date, complete accounting of its entire volume. The distribution of shares is, therefore, a subjective process, but carried out on the basis of approximate data, it can generally give a toxic result.

   This work is long-term, it is better if there is someone to discuss this topic with (colleagues or even subordinates) in order to maximally raise the bar of objectivity of the assessments made. In general, restructuring a company’s staff also requires optimization of personnel work. A competent personnel officer knows that you should not shy away from participating in disputes - the truth is born in them.

3. Costs should be “personalized” in a similar way.

   Costs should be distributed among personnel, choosing as weights the same criteria that were taken when personalizing income. It is easy and clear, as a rule, to separate the costs of renting premises and wages. Advertising costs are more difficult. But what to do with direct costs?

   In fact, everything is simple: for example, we evaluate sales managers. Their revenue is sales; and the costs include the cost of products sold, and all those additional expenses that they, one way or another, took advantage of (for example, the costs of the same advertising).

   Important! You should be consistent in your selection of criteria, but a statement is acceptable (though not required). For example, both sales managers and workers who serve industrial complex and the warehouse have a single income base (sales), but their cost part is seriously different. There is no balance sheet here. The objective of the process is to identify those positions whose activities do not require the creation of an additional workplace.

   Here, once again, you need to pay attention to the need to have advanced financial accounting: it should be possible to categorize costs not only according to a conventional accounting ranking, but also according to more applied characteristics (preferably such that they are understood by the general manager of the company).

4. Further, in relation to each selected structural unit (or even a specific person), 2 numbers are written next to each other:
   • 1 value - the income that is created with his participation;
   • 2 value - present costs.

   The most obvious way to do this analysis is in the form of paired columns. And here the comparable process and interpretation of the results begins, because the optimization of the enterprise’s personnel must be conscious and well motivated. There are usually two types of results:

   • the revenue column significantly exceeds the cost column (the so-called “profit generation centers” (PGC));
   • the cost column is simply greater than the income column (service personnel (OP)).

   Attention! People and departments that have conditionally negative profitability are not at all a burden to the enterprise. Imagine that you would have to determine which organ is the most important in a person (you can also identify the periphery). The method is designed to determine whose responsibilities can be redistributed among others, and whose activities should not be touched.

Interpreting Performance Personification Results

Naturally, the personnel of departments and departments that have high conditional profitability should not change their work mode. Moreover, if there is an established system of relationships between profit generators and the management above them, then it is strongly recommended not to change the rules of the game. The desire to further formalize and streamline everything will inevitably lead to a decrease in productivity. Optimizing the number of personnel of an enterprise in a given area can only be done by including additional personnel in this block. Important condition– these personnel must be qualified!

It is regrettable to state, but it is a fact: hiring inexperienced newcomers to work in such departments inevitably entails a drop in the overall level of efficiency of these structural units of the enterprise. However, this does not mean at all that young people (even with competence, but without experience) should immediately quit. It’s just that the entrance to such units should not be “from the street.” People must move up the career ladder, starting from conditionally unprofitable positions, by proving themselves. And with their promotion, managers should take time.

The situation is much more complicated with those whose cost column is higher than the revenue column.

• If such a picture is observed among personnel who are part of the “core of profitability,” then either the criteria for the formation of its indicators (income and costs) need to be checked again, or there is a problem at a fundamental level in the business process of the entire company. (Simply put, gross profit is negative).
• In the normal case, personnel with negative conditional profitability do not fall into the “core”. (In essence, this is why they form the “periphery”). General principle here is one - the larger the gap for a particular person between conditional costs and generated income, the higher his chances of reduction.

Optimization of the number of employees of the enterprise

Optimization of work is the only correct way to adapt the number of employees in an enterprise to the requirements of economic realities. The proposal to simply reduce the number of employees as a solution to the problem of insufficient funding of the wage fund is extremely short-sighted and incompetent.

It is no coincidence that the need to divide personnel into “core” and “periphery” is accepted at the very beginning. The first to generate money!

Attention! Axiom - there is no "core" in commercial organization with no growth potential! Any organization has, for example, a sales department (no matter what its name may be), and it can (and should) be replenished with qualified personnel as the organization develops.

Optimization of personnel at an enterprise should be reduced to the redistribution of workers with negative conditional profitability in favor of those structural divisions that have unconditional positive profitability (preferably, by a large margin). Please note, the truth is simple. However, the connection of precisely this redistribution with an increase in efficiency, primarily financial, needs to be proven, which is what we were devoted to previous sections. What should such redistribution consist of, and what is its idea? Consider:

1. It is necessary to identify obvious outsiders on the “periphery” (those whose conditional loss is greater than others).
2. An analysis of the job descriptions of all peripheral employees should be carried out. It is highly desirable to achieve maximum unification of their common positions.
3. Next, we should highlight those who have fewer individual responsibilities than others.

   Important! It is impossible to take into account solely the quantitative indicator of responsibilities. Here, as nowhere else, an individual approach will be required, including conducting conversations in order to find out what exactly a person’s working day is filled with.

4. In addition, it is necessary to highlight the circle of those who have more such “unique” responsibilities.

The purpose of such an analysis is to identify those job descriptions whose “unique” responsibilities can be distributed among other employees of the “periphery” (provided that responsibilities are properly rationed). Those who currently have more “unique” responsibilities should definitely not be affected.

It was already noted above: the optimization of enterprise employees should not be aimed at mass layoffs. (There is an opinion that the state control body in the field of labor and employment will clearly not approve of the formation of strike tendencies in conditions of an economic crisis). If you redistribute the responsibilities of the least stressful “peripheral” personnel among the job descriptions of the rest, then human resources will be formed. These need to be turned into “core” employees, of course, by retraining them (i.e., providing them with the appropriate competencies). Features of this approach:

• The suitability of a particular “peripheral” employee to work in the “core” is not a barrier. After all, we are talking about the redistribution of positions in job descriptions. That is, it is not at all necessary to take exactly of this employee, sharing its instructions among the others. You can take the most suitable person into the “core”, proportionally transferring his responsibilities to others. Positions are divided into job description, and specific people move to the “core”.
• By “core” we correctly understand a certain enterprise that generates the company’s gross profit. With the approach described above, the company does not create unemployed people, but increases the number of profit generators by getting rid of ineffective activities.

Attention! In all theories, the search for internal reserves is equated to investment activity. And personnel reserves here are no exception. In fact, a company can even take out a loan in order to expand the “core”, since this is already a commercial project (after all, the “core” will most likely make a profit). A curious situation arises: let’s assume that the country (and for specifics, let’s take the Republic of Belarus (RB)) is experiencing a solvency crisis (with a fall in the exchange rate value of the national currency). And a company that follows this strategy not only does not lay off workers, but receives credit, expanding its areas of activity!

Who is most often subject to optimization?

“Periphery” is most often employed in the following departments:

• reception;
• office staff;
• regional representative (due to the growing importance of telecommunications);
• accounting and a various set of financial specialists of a narrow profile.

The department, which is the “core”, in different organizations is various names. The larger the company, the more such structural units there are. But the most common is the client department, since it is the department that is directly responsible for generating sales (and it doesn’t matter what exactly it is called).

Optimization of enterprises in the Republic of Belarus

The law (Civil Code) in the Republic protects the interests of workers. The state carefully ensures that there are no unjustified layoffs and reductions in industries. This approach often strongly binds the activities of the owners (founders) of companies, forcing them, at times, to literally follow the lead of careless slackers.

Adopting the above system for developing your company through optimizing the personnel system can serve as a real solution for an entrepreneur:

• a proposal to supplement job responsibilities (even with an increase in wages) is not the same as an order to reduce the position;
• an offer to transfer to a financial generator unit is not dismissal;
• a loan taken to pay off salary debts turns into an investment loan.

Thanks to this strategy, even those enterprises that have fundamental difficulties in generating their income receive a real chance for development.

For employees of any organization, the word “optimization” sounds like something unknown and, undoubtedly, scary. The thing is that few people fully understand how this notorious personnel optimization or, in other words, reduction in the number of employees, can and, most importantly, will happen.

Let's discuss the current topic together with HR expert Margarita Mityushkina.

Let's look at what optimization is. I offer several definitions:

1. Optimization is search the best solution to achieve the company's goals under given conditions.
2. Headcount optimization is a reduction in personnel costs (both by reducing the number of employees and by reducing the level of staff income).

It is no secret that any organization operates with the sole purpose of making a profit at the lowest possible costs. Therefore, when it comes to restructuring and subsequent optimization, many business owners start by cutting costs in those structural divisions that are “consuming” - that is, those that do not bring visible (direct) profit to the company. Usually this is an administrative and management block (personnel management, administration, accounting).

As practice shows, employers often sin by starting to “cut” their staff, starting with “unnecessary” (in their opinion) service personnel.

As a result, the total number of employees of a company experiencing a period of crisis does not fundamentally change. But at the same time provide services accompanying any entrepreneurial activity, there is simply no one. After all, first of all, they decided to get rid of the support staff, and then only selectively, using the “expert” method. What do we get as a result? Of course, there is negativity on the part of the staff, both retired and working, because we are all human and at such moments we experience extreme stress. As for the company itself, it, as an employer, undermines its reputation and image in the labor market.

Situations are also common when company management resorts to the following measures:

• encouraging older employees to retire early,
• transfer of employees to other (usually lower and lower paid) positions or transfer to other structural units,
• encouraging certain categories of employees to resign at their own request or with certain payments (if dismissed by agreement of the parties).

In addition, redistribution of employees within one department/division/sector is often practiced when, for example, two departments are combined into one. And then employees who previously held management positions have no choice but to move to ordinary positions offered as part of the optimization, or another option is to quit.

We are optimizing. What to do?

When a company decides to optimize personnel, the process is always painful for everyone: be it a manager who needs to choose who will continue to work with him and who will have to leave the company, or an ordinary specialist who is in limbo until , so to speak, the entire “black” list has been announced.

Psychologically, the task of hiring and firing a certain number of people is, of course, very difficult. As a rule, the most painful step - informing each employee individually about management's decision - falls to HR managers. How to behave in such a situation? First of all, remain human! Having spoken humanly, you will a priori be superior to all those leaders who chose to remain silent and shift their responsibility onto you.

The most important rule when carrying out optimization: the company must clearly understand what it will receive as a result of all procedures. It is very important to correctly calculate and think through everything so that ultimately the opposite effect does not occur.

This rule includes several large blocks:

• Determining the company's long-term goals, setting goals;
• Optimization of existing business processes;
• Development of a new organizational structure of the company;
• Determining the number of personnel;
• Elaboration of the procedure for the withdrawal of personnel;
• Direct reduction in numbers;
• Approval of a new organizational structure and a new staffing table.

In addition, it must be taken into account that when the number is reduced, the quality of work may suffer. To minimize such risks, it is important, when approving a new chain of mandatory business processes, to standardize labor, which is not always done in companies.

To implement the blocks listed above, organizations often hire a separate specialist, the so-called anti-crisis manager, who is faced with the task of bringing the company out of collapse in the shortest possible time. Why is this being done? After all, a new person means an inevitable increase in costs, which is absolutely illogical in this situation. It’s simple: for an outsider who has nothing to do with the company or the staff, it is much easier, due to healthy cynicism, to solve all problems “without a heart,” which is not always possible for managers who have worked side by side with these people for many years.

How will we optimize?

Once further business development priorities have been determined and there is an understanding of how everything should look, the personnel reduction procedure itself begins. Let's look at the most common scenarios.

1. Dismissal at one’s own request or by agreement of the parties.

2. An offer to take a specific position in the new company structure.

There are many nuances associated with optimization in a white-label company. After all, the Labor Code must not be violated under any circumstances - otherwise there will be even more problems, in addition to the crisis. And here the most important role is played by HR, whose mission is to protect the employing company from such violations. This was a small digression J

So, you need to fire some of the staff, as they say, “without noise and dust.” Above, we chose two paths: by agreement of the parties and by staff reduction (as a rule, the employer is in favor of termination Employment contract by agreement of the parties). Both ways are legal and described in detail in the Labor Code. However, it is often easier and faster for an employer to “get rid of” some employees by agreeing with each on a specific payment amount.

The nuance of this option is that if an agreement between the employer and employee on monetary compensation is not reached, there may be pressure from management on the employee who does not want to leave the company. Agree, not a very pleasant turn of events. If you follow the path of least resistance and reduce staff in the classic execution of the law, the employer will have to be patient, since the procedure will last several months.

In both scenarios, certain difficulties, disagreements and disputes arise. However, aligning an organization’s actions to the letter of the law means protecting the rights of both parties: both the employee and the employer. After all, without the appropriate documents, it will be difficult for an employer to hold his employee accountable if he does not perform his functions properly.

Thus, the legislative framework provides the right of choice to each party. All that remains is to determine where to turn: right or left.

We have a new structure and a different number of people. What's next?

So, most of the difficult path has been completed. But the stress has not yet subsided, and we need to work and achieve our newly set goals. How to motivate the remaining staff? It would seem that everything is simple. You stayed at work, so go and do your job well so as not to get caught next time. Here, in my opinion, there is some general rule, there is no advice or guidance for action. As I already said, you must always remain human. This is the task of the HR service: to lend a shoulder, let you cry into your vest, reassure, help, say some words of support, and, of course, be honest, because any person will always feel whether you are being cunning or not.

I think my colleagues working in the field of personnel management will agree that the topic of optimization and downsizing leaves no one indifferent. We all hope that the fate of carrying out such procedures will never befall us, or at least in the near future.

Therefore, I would like to wish everyone who read my article good luck, and may your work bring you maximum pleasure, because:

When you do something without love and unprofessionally, it is hack,

When you do something without love, but professionally, it is craft,

When you do something not professionally, but with love, it is hobby,

When you do something professionally and with love, it is art.

So let each of you engage in art!

Mityushkina Margarita, HR expert. Work experience: IT (system integration), pharmaceuticals, railway logistics.