By Jim Marco
It was just a few weeks ago that employers were lamenting the fact that they could not find enough qualified employees to help run their businesses. Now, these same business owners are faced with questions of whether they are essential/non-essential, closing store fronts and offices, remote work, layoffs, furloughs and more.
While you might be trying to recover from “managerial whiplash” at the moment, it’s time to start planning for your business to emerge from the other side of this pandemic. That starts with making sure you have the people to help you successfully recover from this challenging time.
While it is true every day, communication with your employees is more important now that it ever has been. Frequent, honest, thorough communication with your staff, whether actively employed or on furlough or layoff, will help you gain the trust you need to retain these folks so they will be ready to come back to work and help you re-start your business.
Remember that communications isn’t just about what you say to your people, it’s equally important to listen to what they have to say to you. What are their questions, concerns, fears, or ideas? As a manager or business owner, your job isn’t to have all the answers, your job is to bring out the best in your people.
Is there an idea that you may not have considered? Have you established enough trust with your employees that they are willing to share those ideas with you?
If you have furloughed any members of your staff, you have a great deal of competition out there! Many businesses are hiring right now, and with hundreds of thousands of people filing unemployment benefits, these employers have a ready pool of applicants.
If your employees trust you, and genuinely believe that you are doing your best on their behalf, they are more likely to be there for you when you need them to get your business up and running again after this pandemic.
The time, effort, and care you invest now will help ensure that you emerge from this successfully.