7 solutions for anticipating and managing your company’s year-end business peak

Managing activities is part of the recurring tasks of a company. The person in charge of time and activity management ensures the monitoring of working hours, staff activities, staff presence and absences. There are many resource needs, and they vary from one year to another. Companies often experience a peak in activity at the end of the year. Business owners and HR managers must then implement a time and activity management strategy adapted to this period. Follow our practical advice to prepare your company effectively for the year-end rush.

Get ready for the year-end rush

The end of the year is often an intense period of activity for businesses. Data show that many of them generate a major share of their turnover during the last quarter of the fiscal year. The festive season offers opportunities for implementing better methods for packing and storing goods more quickly to improve efficiency. It is also the ideal time to end the fiscal year on a high note and prepare for the new cycle brought by the upcoming year.

E-business activity experiences significant growth during the festive season especially. To enable their company to expand and meet customer demand (for products or services), managers must ensure that teams are prepared for this peak business period by opting for efficient organisation and optimal resource management.

To anticipate and efficiently manage the year-end peak in activity, it is essential to develop and continually improve planning processes. This not only optimises working time for everyone but also reduces wasted time and energy, thereby contributing to improved productivity and operator well-being.

Create a checklist for better activity management

Are you well prepared to handle high visitor and buyer numbers? Do you have enough stock to meet all orders? Is your warehouse space allocation optimal and do you have enough packaging materials? What equipment do you need to acquire for your warehouse, workshop or office?

Create a checklist that includes all the services, staff, and products that you need to meet additional demand. By preparing properly and improving work organisation, you will handle the year-end business peak with ease. This allows you to optimise time and activity management.

Here are some key elements that your activity management checklist should include:

• Activity identification;
• Activity monitoring;
• Estimated equipment requirements;
• Estimated staffing, supplies, etc. requirements.

In addition to creating a checklist, consider automating certain processes. Digital management tools, for example, can greatly help task planning and monitoring during these periods of business peak.

Opt for the optimal organisation with a clever warehouse layout

What should you do with all these additional products and packaging materials? Warehouse space optimisation is a key step for efficiently managing business peaks. This may involve using innovative storage solutions, optimising warehouse layout to promote goods flow, or investing in technologies to improve warehouse efficiency.

Storage space is precious – it is, therefore, important to make the most of every metre available. Choose the right warehouse layout by determining optimal routes for your staff and the goods you want to store there. Consider efficient ways to lay it out or organise your storage cabinets so that everything is tidily put away and you never run out of products. This optimisation of the premises is particularly important for companies that sell products online. The year-end period often sees a significant increase in the number of orders and impacts time and activity management.

During business peaks, workspace efficiency is also key. Make sure your office furniture is well chosen and laid out to promote employee productivity and well-being.

Make sure to have staff available for this critical time by improving time management

More customers mean a more intense activity and more orders to pack. Some members of staff are going on holiday? You will need backup in the warehouse and customer service. Make sure you have enough operators for days when you have to handle high footfall. For this, it can be useful to implement digital management tools to keep precise track of working hours for each team member.

During peaks in activity, team cohesion is essential. Team-building activities can help maintain good morale and productivity.

Identify budget and resource requirements

Determine budgets and check available balances for this year. Do you prefer to use it up (delivery and invoicing in the current fiscal year) or to carry it over to the next fiscal year? Or would you rather ask your suppliers for an invoice for the current fiscal year and arrange delivery next year? It is important to think it through, so you can better anticipate any constraints and make smarter decisions on organisation and management of your company during these periods.

Efficient peak activity management also requires meticulous financial planning. This may involve establishing a specific budget to manage the additional costs associated with these periods (labour, storage) or costs related to increased production.

At Manutan’s request, Novio Research surveyed approximately 800 companies, which revealed that 22.5% use up their budget by the end of the year. Among them, 13.8%

opt for delivery and invoicing in the current fiscal year, while 8.7% prefer to have the items delivered in the following year.

Protect your company and employees from the cold

Employee safety must be a priority during business peaks. This may involve implementing additional safety measures, providing suitable protective equipment or holding safety training courses to guide staff during these periods.

It is essential to prepare for winter. Order grit salt to deal with icy patches and equip your company premises with heating and safety clothing to protect your teams from the cold. Cold poses health and safety risks for your employees and therefore for the smooth running of your business.

Also, make sure you equip your building with lamps to light the premises and entrance to your company on darker days.

Prepare for the upcoming working year

The new year is fast approaching, and it is in your best interest to prepare your company for it. Start now by identifying new projects to be undertaken and, together with your team, draw up a detailed plan with activities and deadlines.

Learn to manage the unexpected! Don’t let stress overwhelm you; sound the alarm when you can no longer carry out all your activities or risk running short of resources and materials.

Monitoring orders and activities is essential. Everything possible must be done to ensure the festive season is also a time of joy for your company!

Don’t forget that the post-business peak period is just as important as the peak itself. Preparing for the new year must therefore be an integral part of your business peak management strategy. Review the past year, identify strengths and areas for improvement, and begin planning your goals for the coming year.

Download our “Well-working” white paper for more information and advice on managing time and activities during business peak periods.