At work lately we have had issues with our main client as things are not running smoothly with certain procedures not being followed. The problem lies on the fact we are waiting on them who are often 2-3 days behind on their work which affects our delivery lead times.
This morning we had a meeting with the business owner who does not understand all the processes and why this has managed to fester into the problems we are having now. They have been experiencing delayed payments which then obviously affects our management fee being delayed at the same time.
It turns out his staff have been lying to him by blaming us and is indeed the total opposite which he now knows. The scary part is we do not have enough manpower to do this all ourselves as the order processing takes time which we used to do and handed this back when they took over the stock control systems. This was their choice at the time and we were happy to oblige and why we know exactly where the problems and delays are coming from.
This is now a catch 22 because we can do this job and fix the problem, but we need more admin staff and then would not need the staff who are currently employed as they are not doing their jobs now. Blaming other people is easy, but by doing this they have burned the bridges of those who could help them as the trust is gone and will never return. This is not the first time this has happened and if allowed to continue will happen again and again. This only leads into a toxic environment so this has to be addressed head on.
The problem always filters down from the top and by not understanding your business fully you are failing yourself and will ultimately make mistakes. This should never have bee allowed to fester this long as this is not a problem that has just surfaced and has been ongoing since January/February.
The hope is now we can get back to normal depending on what action is taken because clearly those working for them are that ignorant to think no one would find out. I am sure this week we will be asked to catch up all the work and no changes will happen as that is what has happened in the past. This obviously cannot continue as is for much longer ad we need to be strong enough business wise to stand on our own two feet.
I essence we have outgrown our client ad canto keep carrying them as they are holding us back. I need to get the other smaller internal businesses up and running as son as possible so we can have choices which we do not now. They rely on us and we rely on them way too much so things have to change quickly.
Staff can make or break a business and I can tell you from knowing these people I would have fired them years ago. This is a very good business and from what I can tell the problem lies with the decision making and staff and if that can be fixed the there would be a complete turn around.
