There comes a time for any business, no matter what the size, that it’s time to replace or eliminate an employee’s position. This article is written for the business owner who has a bookkeeper and has given some thought to this topic. As business owners, we need to make tough decisions all the time. Perhaps, one of the hardest decision involves eliminating or reducing the hours of an employee. Lets face it, nobody likes to terminate an employee, especially in this economic environment. We all know, that its important to care about other people, so this type of decision is special and often is hard to make. Sometimes your perception of the problem is blocked by your feelings for the employee. So instead of making a decision, your perception creates a series of thoughts about the problem that results in no decision. This is article is written to help you realize that it’s time to make a decision.
Most small business owners do not have anyone to consult with, so the decision to terminate an employee may be hard to make. Also, other business priorities may be preventing you from giving the requisite time to analyze this problem. Below are 10 reasons to assist you in making that decision, or to reinforce your decision to change your bookkeeper. If you are able identify with a couple of these reasons, or just one, and you are of the opinion that the problem cannot be corrected, then it may be time to terminate your bookkeeper or reduce their working hours.
1. Financial information always has mistakes and is often received late.
2. You or someone in your family are financially and computer savvy and have the time to do the bookkeeping.
3. Someone in your family lost their job(s) and you need to replace their income.
4. You are too dependent on the bookkeeper and your bookkeeping doesn’t seem as complex as they make it out to be.
5. You have discussed this problem with the employee, it can’t be fixed and you have made every effort to be fair and equitable.
6. You don’t understand what the bookkeeper is saying.
7. Your bookkeeper is always too busy to give you the answer to your questions.
8. Your bookkeeper seems to have a lot of extra time and doesn’t seem to be able to distinguish between urgent matters and priorities.
9. Net profits are shrinking and you think you have too many people employed.
10. Self Realization – It just makes sense, it feels right and you haven’t had the time to terminate your bookkeeper or reduce the bookkeeping hours.
Sometimes no decision is the wrong decision. If you have experienced one or more of the aforementioned indicators then it may make sense to internalize the bookkeeping within your family, assuming the replacement person is, or willing to learn, how to be computer and financial literate. Before making this decision, ask your CPA or accountant for their input.