Answer to Question #88062 in Management for Ali

Question

As laboratory manager how can you reduce your operating/ personnel budget?

Answer 1

To reduce operating budget, it is important for any entity or department to minimize costs essential for day-to-day operations. Personnel expenses is a day-to-day operation cost within a laboratory context that can lead to an increase or decrease in operating budget. From this consideration, an efficient way for a laboratory manager to reducing personnel budget is to ensure efficiency. Efficiency is achievable where there are experienced personnel who can undertake responsibilities diligently. From the perspective, a laboratory manager can use a selection criterion that ensures that not only credible employees are employed but also staffs who appreciate the importance of voluntary training. This is because voluntary training or education leads to acquisition of critical skills such as maintaining and repair of laboratory equipment, hence eliminating the need for outsourcing the services. Outsourcing increases operating budget but voluntary training that manufacturers of laboratory equipment offer is free. Efficient equipment lead to efficient output, therefore leading to a reduction in operating costs in the laboratory.