The COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent shutdowns affected different businesses in different ways. Some industries, like financial services, online retail, and even real estate, experienced growth. However, other industries suffered big losses, particularly hospitality, restaurants, and brick and mortar retailers; even some office environments experienced significant setbacks. Now, with plans to reopen and resume business as normal underway, some companies are faced with a labor shortage. Obviously, it’s difficult to service customers without the proper employee support. So, let’s look at some ways to shore up your business staff in short order. Employees are the Single-Most Valuable Business Asset Regardless of what industry your company serves, you’ve probably learned over the years — or have least heard — that employees are true assets to any business. Companies who do not treat their employees as assets suffer from high rates of turnover, low quality work, and often poor morale. Before you start evaluating candidates, ask yourself what traits you want to have in those employees to ensure you’re aligning your new hires with your business objectives. Some common traits that I’ve seen among hiring for eCommerce and physical retailers include flexibility, high energy, and fast learner —Business 2 Community Conversely, businesses that treat their employees as valued assets enjoy quality production, higher rates of production, a strong camaraderie and positive morale, and very low turnover. The reason isn’t a mystery — treat employees well and they will in turn do their best. Of course, that begs the question of how to bring on several people in a short amount of time that will make a good fit? How to Find Quality Employees on Short Notice In order to staff a business quickly, you need to first determine which roles to prioritize. And, know exactly what type of personalities best fit said roles. Here are three attitudes you must embrace to find the right staff in a pinch: Be patient. You probably already have existing employees taking on expansive responsibilities out of necessity. You should continue that practice but with a goal to reach. It’s better to rely on known qualities and compensate them well than to rush through the hiring process simply to fill positions. Start with previous employees to fill empty roles and give them more responsibilities for the short-term. Be flexible. Of course, you should streamline your hiring and training processes. But along with these changes, it’s also smart to think strategically. In other words, if a new hire isn’t working out in a particular role, move him or her into a different position instead of letting them go and having to go through the process all over again. Be confident. Sure, this might be a time of uncertainty. It’s unnerving, upsetting, and can be difficult to cope with. But, if you remain calm and show confidence, that will permeate through the company and help your employees greatly. What other attributes would you suggest business owners take on in order to get through a period of short staff? Please take a moment to share your thoughts and experiences by commenting so others can benefit from your unique perspective. Interested in learning more about business? Then just visit Waters Business Consulting Group.

A Lesson from the Luddites: Smart Ways to Keep Your Small Business Agile and Adaptable You’ve probably heard of the Luddites – a group of English textile workers who protested against the rise of mechanized weaving looms in the early 19th century. They believed these new machines would lead to widespread unemployment and take away their livelihood. To save their jobs, the Luddites focused on destroying the forthcoming state-of-the-art technology instead of adapting their skills to work alongside it. This inflexible approach ultimately proved futile. But, they didn’t anticipate the long-term benefits of mechanized weaving, such as increased efficiency and lower production costs. These advancements ultimately led to a more competitive textile industry and potentially more jobs in the long run. In other words, the Luddites are a prime example of a small group who failed to recognize the emerging situation and simply weren’t agile or adaptable enough, which ultimately spelled disaster. Why Companies of All Sizes Need to Stay Agile and Adaptable Today, small businesses benefit from staying agile and adaptable because they can respond quickly to market changes, customer needs, and technological advancements. This allows them to outmaneuver larger competitors who may be slower to react due to their size and complex decision-making processes. Being agile and adaptable also enables small businesses to foster a more personal connection with their customers by quickly addressing their needs and concerns. Agility and adaptability are crucial in our incredibly fast-paced business environment, where sudden global events, technological shifts, and changing consumer demands can impact the market. By embracing change and staying flexible, small businesses can maintain a competitive edge, innovate more effectively, and ensure their long-term success. Moreover, small businesses have the advantage of making decisions and implementing changes more quickly than larger organizations. This agility allows them to experiment with new strategies, products, or services, and learn from their successes or failures without significant financial or operational risks. Best Ways to Keep Your Small Business Agile and Adaptable To keep your small business agile and adaptable, you can start by encouraging a culture of adaptability. It’s very important to foster an environment where employees feel comfortable taking risks, experimenting with new ideas, and learning from failures. This can be achieved by rewarding innovation and promoting a growth mindset within your team. Additionally, embracing technology as it improves. Moreover, staying up to date with the latest technological advancements in your industry and being willing to adopt new tools and processes that can improve efficiency and adaptability. While these are fundamental starting places, you can do much more. Your small business can pursue more strategies to keep it on the cutting edge, and up-to-date, and make it agile and adaptable by doing the following: Listen to your customers. Regularly gather feedback from your customers and use it to make informed decisions about your products or services. This will help you stay in tune with their needs and preferences, allowing you to adapt accordingly. Stay agile in your operations. Implement agile methodologies to streamline your business processes and improve collaboration within your team. This will help you respond quickly to changes and make more informed decisions. Foster cross-functional collaboration. Encourage collaboration between different departments and teams within your organization. This will help break down silos and promote a more holistic approach to problem-solving and decision-making. Invest in your employees. Provide opportunities for your employees to develop new skills and expand their knowledge. This will help them adapt to new challenges and contribute to the overall adaptability of your business. Monitor market trends and changes. Keep a close eye on market trends, competitor activity, and changes in your industry. This will help you identify potential opportunities and threats, allowing you to adapt your business strategy accordingly. Embrace change. Be open to change and willing to adjust your business model or strategy as needed. This will help you stay ahead of the competition and maintain your competitive edge. Maintain financial flexibility. Ensure your business has the financial resources to adapt to changing market conditions and seize new opportunities. This may involve diversifying your revenue streams, managing your cash flow effectively, and maintaining a strong credit rating. Also, be sure to communicate openly and honestly. Keep your employees, customers, and stakeholders informed about changes within your business and the reasons behind them. This will help build trust and support for your adaptability efforts. Want to Accomplish More? Do you want your company to grow faster and earn more while you spend more time with your family doing all the things you started your business to do? We can make that dream a reality. Give us 30 minutes and we will show you how to get your life back. Skeptical? Good! Put us to the test. You can call us for your free appointment at (602) 541-1760, or, if you prefer,

With the roll-backs of local, state, and federal COVID-19 restrictions, businesses are attempting to return to a state of normalcy. But, reinstating pre-pandemic conditions isn’t as simple as they ought to be, and too many entrepreneurs are experiencing such a cruel reality. So, some are experimenting with a hybrid solution: a combination of work-from-home or WFH and on-site business operation. Sure, it certainly sounds like a logical solution. But, every solution breeds new problems. Meaning, there are distinct disadvantages to adopting a WFH and on-site business model. Biggest Hybrid Workplace Advantages Obviously, corporations around the world wouldn’t put a hybrid model in-place unless it had substantial benefits. And, there are some compelling reasons, like the potential of increased productivity via a customizable schedule. After all, happy employees are more productive and that’s certainly good for the bottom line. Then, there’s the morale boost which comes from being able to choose from WFH and on-site. Employees cherish the freedom and that too, helps to boost both productivity and morale. What many companies are converging on is a mixture of remote working and traditional office working, known as the hybrid workplace. A hybrid workplace exists when a business allows their employees to work either remotely or from the office. In a typical hybrid workplace, employees have the choice of working in a central office, working from home, or splitting their time between the two. —WeWork Ideas Blog Additionally, it can help to reduce operating costs, which decrease with the lessened need of supporting individuals constantly on-site. Moreover, it allows employees to avoid toxic situations. For instance, two or more employees who don’t get along very well in-person can find relief by not having to be in close proximity. 4 Issues with a WFH and On-Site Hybrid Business Operation While a hybrid operation might sound like a perfect answer, that just isn’t the case. Unfortunately, there are big potential problems with adopting a hybrid model, as the following issues might present: Managing a hybrid team is very difficult. Anyone with experience in managing a team is familiar with the vast time and effort that goes into making it work. Now, add-in a bunch of other variables that weren’t present before and it’s easy to imagine just how more difficult or nightmarish managing people in totally different physical locations is in reality. Some WFH employees will take advantage. Put this problem in the all-too-obvious column: some employees will exploit the new policies to their own personal advantage, even if it results in harming others and/or the company. While it’s not something you might relish thinking about, it is most definitely a possibility or perhaps, even a probability. A hybrid scenario can easily foster resentment. Another potential problem is along the same lines as the one above — that one or more employees will gain a sense of others’ nefarious behaviors regarding the hybrid operation. That could very well cause resentment to rear its ugly head. Not everyone will contribute the same amount. Expounding on the last two possible issues, is the real possibility one or more employees will shuffle responsibilities off their own shoulders and onto their coworkers through a form of sleight of hand. What other suggestions do you have to deal with potential work-from-home issues? Please take a few minutes to share your thoughts and experiences. Perhaps others can benefit from your unique perspective! Interested in learning more about business? Then just visit Waters Business Consulting Group.