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Baal-zebub · Site Admin Joined: 01 Jan 1970 Posts: 124

Every article you read about business expenses focuses on cutting them -- and not just cutting them, but cutting them with a vengeance! 

Often the advice uses words better suited for a horror film than for a business discussion. Let's consider a few: cut, slash, lop, slice. It gets even worse when you get into complete phrases: chop heads, hack to the bone, hatchet man ... well, you get my drift. 

That's why this article by the NFIB is so interesting, because if focuses on <a href="http://www.nfib.com/object/IO_28233.html">business expenses NOT to cut</a>. Among them, it says do not cut intangible employee benefits:<blockquote>"It's possible that you may be faced with salary or bonus reductions when money is hard to come by. That's understandable, and perhaps, inevitable. But be wary of cutting relatively low-cost benefits that have high symbolic value for your employees. Days off on employees' birthdays, inexpensive holiday gifts and staff gatherings, for instance, might be extremely important in maintaining morale during times of trouble."</blockquote>It's really all about making intelligent choices and not being short-sighted. Business has cause and effect relationships that are not obvious to the naked eye. Understanding those relationships is the art of business management. 

That's especially true when dealing with human behavior. 

If human behavior could be distilled down into nothing more than numbers, what a boring world this would be. What's more, we'd not get the benefits of an employee achieving the near-miraculous, as occasionally happens in business. That happens from the magical combination of thought and emotion and dedication and spirit embodied in the human being -- and involves far more than just numbers. 

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