Scottish businesses beware!
Latest reports have confirmed that a gang of pesky profit monsters is at large in businesses across Scotland. Silent assassins, slowly siphoning off hard-earned profits every day.
These monsters have carried out hundreds of heists, getting away with many thousands of pounds.
At the last count, there were believed to be seven gang members. A recent description of each is provided below – though they may have changed their appearance to gain entry and secure a foothold in your business.
Please take a minute to familiarise yourself with each one. If you suspect there’s a chance that any profit monster could be at large in your business, stay calm and follow instructions at the end of this message – how to stamp out profit monsters.
Please also help spread the word and forewarn other Scottish businesses.
Profit Monster Number One – Springing a leak in your bottom line
It can be a real pain when a pipe bursts, and water damage means you have to redecorate or replace equipment. But as we’ve seen time and time again in businesses around Scotland, it can be an even bigger pain if that burst pipe is not detected straight away.
In such cases it silently increases your site’s water use. This profit monster often goes undiscovered month after month, sometimes even year after year, adding to your bills and draining away your hard-earned profits.
Profit Monster Number Two – The lights are on, but there’s nobody in
It’s pretty simple, if you are the last one to leave work, you switch the lights off. After all, lights left burning all night is going to add a pretty penny to your energy bill. The same goes for your heating system. In most cases, staff are good at doing this.
When we see problems arise is when new staff join, or more commonly, when a new person joins your cleaning contractor’s team. If they break the routine, heating and lighting can be left on all night, night after night, week after week, adding unnecessary costs every time.
Profit Monster Number Three – When clocks go forward, profits can go backwards
There are many sites around Scotland where electric frost protection and de-icers are used to keep external steps, paths and car parks free from ice, and to keep other equipment such as air-handling units running properly.
There is of course no need for this equipment to run in the summer – but you would be surprised how often it does, which is typically because settings haven’t been adjusted or equipment has failed. The same often happens with external lighting – required in winter but a needless expense when the brighter days arrive.
Profit Monster Number Four – Paying your contractor to collect fresh air
Do you need all the bins supplied by your waste contractor? Do you need them to be emptied by your waste contractor so frequently? It might be worth keeping an eye out to see how full your bins are when your waste contractor picks them up.
If some are empty or not fully used when collected, you’re paying your contractor to pick up fresh (or perhaps not so fresh) air. Ask for these bins to be removed from your service contract or reduce the frequency of collection (perhaps even arrange for them to be emptied at your request, when they are full). And then look to renegotiate your contract costs.
Profit Monster Number Five – Flushing profits down the pan
Sorry, we’re talking about gent’s toilets here, urinals to be precise. Urinals often use a timer to control how frequently they flush. That’s great, but problems arise on sites that have a big variation in footfall – think entertainment venues, sports stadia, cinemas and the like.
These businesses can have huge numbers of people on site for a short time, and then lie relatively empty for days and weeks in between. The same can even be said for offices that are busy Monday to Friday, and then lie empty at the weekend.
It’s amazing how often the timers in these businesses are set to suit high footfall moments – meaning urinals continue to frantically flush away every day of the year when there is next to no one there. Frantic flushing can waste huge amounts of our water and potentially add hundreds, sometimes thousands of pounds to your water bills.
Profit Monster Number Six – Giving your waste and recycling special treatment
Special waste, such as clinical waste in hospitals and laboratories, has a much higher disposal cost than general waste or recycling. It’s often very easy and tempting for staff, and visitors, to start putting general waste into special waste receptacles, particularly when they are busy and if clearly marked recycling bins could be better located.
When they do, and if it goes undetected, you’ll go on and on wasting money by paying much more than you need to dispose of your waste – paying special waste rates for your normal waste and recycling.
Profit Monster Number Seven – Broken equipment breaks the budget
Bypass valves, limit switches and other bits of kit around your site work away in the background helping you to minimise resource use. Your building management system, lighting sensors and heating and water timer controls can all do fantastic job too – silently supporting you to save resource and money.
This equipment is great, but sometimes it can get worn out. The trouble is because these bits of kit are so discrete, failure often goes unnoticed. The money you thought you were saving gets lost every day, often for months and years.
How to stamp out profit monsters as soon as they appear
Any business can be hit by these profit monsters. Even the most resource-efficient businesses are not immune. But thankfully, there is one simple action you can take to protect yourself and your profits– measure and monitor your resource use regularly.
This one simple action, when done on a regular basis will let you quickly flag up otherwise hidden problems, allowing you to take swift remedial action… and stamp out profit monsters as soon as they appear.
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