The Great Resignation: Cracking the Code of Staffing Issues
Yep, you read the headline right, let’s get this staffing code cracked!
Coming from an HR background, if anyone was frustrated with the idea of a “Great Resignation”, it was me. The fact of the matter is, if businesses don’t figure out how to keep staff long term, then businesses won’t last.
Staffing issues have become so common, the general public has come to expect poor service at places like restaurants or retail stores. Even though we, as patrons, “get it”, nothing is more frustrating than going to a restaurant and it being closed #duetostaffing IYKYK!
So fellow entrepreneurs I ask you: What do we do? Is the solution to accept defeat, and whine about employees wanting more money? Who do they think they are anyway!? Are we just going to blame “lazy” gen-zers for not wanting to work 40 hours a week stuck in an office? No bro, they are just humans in 2022 setting new norms and business owners need to adapt if they want their business to grow. Hell, some businesses need to adapt to even keep their doors open at this point!
Business owners have entered a whole new phase of the working world. Humanity went through a national pandemic, collectively suffering and collectively overcoming. I do believe good things came from the Covid Pandemic and society’s lockdown. Humans learned it FEELS GOOD to slow down. We are too busy. We over extend ourselves. We are clocking in to keep up with the Jones’, buying things that don’t serve us and filling our calendars to the brim. And for what? Covid made us STOP. The lockdown made us ask “why?”.
On the flip side, while some people had the privilege of slowing down, for other business owners Covid meant operations came to a complete stop, jobs were lost, and doors were shut indefinitely. It was a very harsh reality. But the question is, what do business owners do next? How do we adapt and move forward? I challenge you, my moxie-filled, creative entrepreneurs, let’s learn from this shit!
Look - The truth is, there is not a single end all solution to staffing issues. I have years of experience in HR and Business Development, and in my role I too had to pivot and pivot fast! Here are some hard lessons I learned, and to be honest, I had to deprogram a lot of my “old” ways of thinking. We’ll call it a fundamental redesign.
Create a schedule that honors your team and allows flexibility
I’m not saying shift your entire business model so your team can all work from home.
Most businesses require staff to show up at a brick and mortar to serve customers. However, offering some flexibility, or a condensed schedule if possible, will offer your team the balance they are seeking. The term is cliche at this point, but it lingers because it is true: work-life balance serves a team’s happiness and mental health - that, my friend, is priceless.
I also challenge you to think outside of the hardwired expectations placed on you when you worked on someone else’s payroll. Was a sense of freedom the reason you started your own business? Really evaluate if a position actually requires a person in office 5 days a week to complete the work. Technology that allows staff to work from home comfortably could be a great investment. I am a firm believer in a hybrid schedule between WFH and in office, surprisingly I’ve found this can be the most productive as well.
The labor market is changing and the cost of payroll is on the rise.
When was the last time you did a market comp to see if your wages were still competitive? If you want the BEST staff, your business will have to get creative to pay people on the high end of industry averages. While a lot of businesses are closely watching every penny in and out, evaluate the true cost of LOSING staff and the true cost of BAD employees. You have to spend money to make money. Spend it on the front end paying good people well, instead of wasting money reacting to the problem of being short staffed.
Have some fun!
So many companies are talking about “mental health” in the workplace… and yet, how many companies are really taking action to align with this sentiment? If you are investing in honoring your team’s time and paying your employees well, then you are on your way to establishing long term employee relationships. Luckily, I would say the MOST important thing a business owner can offer employees is free of charge…. A positive working environment. Be kind! Be inclusive! Have fun and don’t forget employees are human.
Let your team be a part of solving company problems, give employees a voice. Encourage staff comradery - If you have the means to organize a staff outing, great! If you don’t, get creative - Walk club on a lunch break, quick team building activities to start the morning, a 5 minute impromptu “dance it out” party - via zoom?! Even better! The energy YOU give your team, is the energy your team will give each other and your customers.
Let’s take the time to appreciate hard working people. Believe it or not, there are many employees out there who do not have the means or accessibility to start a business of their own, but they have the heart and drive, and these employees will invest it in your vision and business if given the opportunity. Identify those people and keep them! I know these intrapreneurs exist, because I was one of them. Now let’s start cracking that code and solve the #duetostaffing problem!
With Moxie,
Catherine