in the last few years i have taken steps to reduce every expense i could think of...for example, we have gone to two less paid holidays (MLK and good friday) and once a week trash pick up and multiple things in between...i am interested in any cuts you may have found doable and effective...
cost saving moves
- Thread starter rodneee
- Start date
- Status
Cow
Senior Member
- Location
- Eastern Oregon
- Occupation
- Electrician
Switch to four 10's....
ptonsparky
Tom
- Occupation
- EC - retired
How many holidays do you take? Are you working full weeks?
we offered ten paid holidays...now we offer 8...i am now leaning towards none...6 to 8 men work full weeks...the rest work 24 to 32 hrs...25 to 30 men laid off from 2007 to 2010 have never been called back for even a week...vacations went unpaid in 2010 except for two guys...we also cut out the office water cooler and free coffee service to save a measly $28...and when the guys found out they would have to make a reasonable contribution to their previously free health care plan; a fair number quit our plan and chose no insurance rather than have a co pay...we are so broke my accountant now picks up check when we go out to lunch...
ptonsparky
Tom
- Occupation
- EC - retired
First, quit going out to lunch with your accountant. He gets more markup than you do.
petersonra
Senior Member
- Location
- Northern illinois
- Occupation
- engineer
You need to understand you are in survival mode. You cannot worry a whole lot about your former employees or even your soon to be former employees (if things don't get better).
You have a bunch of what amounts to part time employees that you are seem to be carrying benefits for. You really need to consider whether that is affordable or not.
Getting rid of the water cooler and coffee pot is silly on the one hand because of the limited amount of money saved, but maybe will impress upon others how serious the situation is.
None of us know your situation so it is hard to give you any serious advice about cost cutting. Having said that, I would start by looking at your largest expenses first. Cheaper TP probably will not solve anything.
Getting rid of your part of the bennies for 3 or 4 people might.
Cutting everyone's pay 2% might.
I would suggest maybe cutting back on time off, but maybe rolling all the various paid time off into a single benefit. So instead of 5 days sick time, 8 days of holidays and some vacation time maybe offer a total of 10 days of paid time off a year.
IMO, you are better off with fewer employees that are actually working FT. Your loyalty to them is admirable as long as it remains affordable, but you may end up killing off the business thru your loyalty.
You have a bunch of what amounts to part time employees that you are seem to be carrying benefits for. You really need to consider whether that is affordable or not.
Getting rid of the water cooler and coffee pot is silly on the one hand because of the limited amount of money saved, but maybe will impress upon others how serious the situation is.
None of us know your situation so it is hard to give you any serious advice about cost cutting. Having said that, I would start by looking at your largest expenses first. Cheaper TP probably will not solve anything.
Getting rid of your part of the bennies for 3 or 4 people might.
Cutting everyone's pay 2% might.
I would suggest maybe cutting back on time off, but maybe rolling all the various paid time off into a single benefit. So instead of 5 days sick time, 8 days of holidays and some vacation time maybe offer a total of 10 days of paid time off a year.
IMO, you are better off with fewer employees that are actually working FT. Your loyalty to them is admirable as long as it remains affordable, but you may end up killing off the business thru your loyalty.
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