Survey Finds Half of Small Businesses Struggle to Improve Productivity

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Oct 07, 2019, 09:00 ET

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla., Oct. 7, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- When over 300 U.S. small business owners were asked what they anticipate to be their greatest challenge related to managing their workforce in the next six to 12 months, 52 percent reported "improving productivity and efficiency," according to a survey by Oasis, a Paychex® Company, which provides outsourced HR solutions.

The research acknowledged additional challenges, including:

Attracting quality employees to join the business (41 percent)
Developing employees to be able to contribute at higher levels (33 percent)
Keeping employees focused on what's most important for business (33 percent )

"Being in charge of a small business comes with time-consuming people management and HR administration that can drain productivity," said Melissa Ness, Director, PEO, Central Region at Oasis. "Administering payroll, complying with employment regulations, and offering competitive health benefits are specialized skills that require time and resources. These tasks can be a distraction from the work that needs to get done in acquiring customers and growing the business."

"These important yet time-consuming employee-related tasks take up about a quarter of all work time, according to 31 percent of the small business owners in our survey," said Ness. "And while 39 percent said they spend too much time on workforce-related issues, 83 percent said they still regard the time spent on HR and workforce issues to be a good investment."

"Running a small business means that you need to be in the know when it comes to ways to maximize the efficiencies and profits," said Ness. "Working with a Professional Employer Organization (PEO), like Oasis, can help make a significant difference in your company's performance so the leaders and managers of your business can focus on growth."

Many owners said they would consider seeking assistance from an outside resource for such activities as "attracting quality employees to join our business" (49 percent), "improving productivity and efficiency" (34 percent), and "employee retention and engagement" (27 percent ).

About the Study: The study was conducted with 319 U.S. small business owners and managers who employ between 10 to 99 employees. Nearly all (89 percent) of the businesses were privately owned, and 68 percent operated from one location. Most reported revenues in excess of $1 million (57 percent ). A wide range of industries were represented. The online interviews took place between February 11 and 18, 2019, by using a National Web Panel by SSRS, an independent market research company located in Glen Mills, PA.

About Oasis, a Paychex® Company
Oasis is a national Professional Employer Organization (PEO) that specializes in providing human resources services, employee benefits administration, payroll and tax administration, risk management services and staffing solutions to small- and medium-sized businesses throughout the United States. Oasis is accredited by the Employer Services Assurance Corporation (ESAC) and the IRS has certified subsidiaries of Oasis to provide PEO services under the Small Business Efficiency Act (SBEA). For more information about Oasis, visit www.oasisadvantage.com.

Professional employer organization (PEO) services are sold and provided by Oasis Outsourcing, Inc. (Oasis) and its affiliates, which are registered and licensed to sell and provide PEO services, including in Florida. Oasis FL license numbers are Oasis Outsourcing, Inc., GL42; Oasis Outsourcing Admin Group, Inc., GL237; Oasis Outsourcing V, Inc., GL54; Oasis AHR, Inc., GL156; Staff One, Inc., EL194; Staff One of Oklahoma, LLC, EL456.

Contact: Laura Burns
[email protected]

SOURCE Oasis