You have undoubtedly asked yourself one or more of the following questions if you are currently running a small business:
- Where did all the good candidates go?
- Why do people no longer show up for interviews?
- How can we expand if we struggle to retain employees?
No, it’s not just you—staffing shortages have impacted companies of all sizes, but small businesses may feel the effects more personally.
You don’t have a big HR staff, a ton of benefits, or a lot of money to throw at the issue like large corporations do. Every absent team member causes greater stress, longer hours, and difficult decisions in addition to a vacancy.
However, there are strategies to adapt, remain resilient, and even prosper even when you can’t somehow increase the number of applicants or go back to “normal.”
It begins with being innovative, remaining adaptable, and reconsidering your hiring, training, and retention approaches.
We’ll go over useful tips in this guide to assist you in dealing with the small business staffing crisis without burning out or jeopardizing your business.
Eight Tips for Managing Labor Shortages
Even though labor shortages are growing more common, your workflow doesn’t have to suffer.
There are employee shortage solutions to address and maintain productivity in small teams, such as offering career opportunities and additional support.
Let’s look at eight tips for staffing shortages as a small business that can enable you to accomplish more with less without exhausting your team.
- Contingency Plan
After you are comfortable with the degree of multi skilling among employees, you should have a plan in place for allocating responsibilities in the event of understaffing.
Although your plan doesn’t have to be intricate, including some basic scenarios will help you stay prepared in a situation where you need to quickly reorganize your business.
Additionally, remember to include a list of chores or activities that can be suspended in the event of a crisis, in addition to organizing the “who does what.”
- Offer Flexibility
Even though this might not seem revolutionary or work as one of the temporary staffing solutions, how you treat your employees throughout the year may have an impact on how much they are willing to do for you in times of chaos.
Offering flexibility in terms of working hours, remote work, or even the type of tasks your employees do may encourage them to work longer hours or take on more duties if you find yourself short-staffed.
Nonetheless, remember that it is your duty as an employer to establish suitable boundaries to prevent employee burnout.
Want help streamlining your business processes or boosting retention? Head to Collett Thorpe to get the best solutions.
- One-On-One Communication
Set up monthly half-hour meetings with each employee to discuss their needs, wants, and goals for the future, motivations, and other topics. Staff members can open up about any problems they may be facing and feel heard during these kinds of feedback sessions.
In addition to facilitating open communication within your team, this may prevent a worker from seeking employment elsewhere. This practice is usually beneficial for remote workers for small businesses.
- Career Opportunities
During your one-on-one meetings, be sure to ask about your employee’s additional abilities or techniques that they would like to learn more about.
Offer funds for educational activities, LinkedIn Learning or other resources that can help them advance their careers.
- Multitasking Employees
In the event that a staff member is unavailable, it is helpful to provide staff with training in a few additional areas beyond their usual responsibilities. This is particularly crucial for professions that are single-point sensitive.
For instance, if one employee is proficient in a certain system, ask them to instruct another staff in its use. Your staff members may also value this opportunity and see it as a chance to advance in their careers.
- Examine Company Culture
One of the hiring challenges in small businesses is people don’t take the time to thoroughly examine the key values of their business and the reasons behind them.
In what ways do your organizational principles, attitudes, and policies uphold and reflect them? Where do your values not show through? Why? These are some of the crucial questions that need to be addressed.
- Collaborate with Local Businesses or Groups
You should explore online employment boards available through various local business groups and networks.
Another option is to reach out to nearby companies for a larger hiring event that includes games, entertaining freebies, and any other activities you can think of. You can greatly increase the reach of your open job vacancies by involving additional small businesses in the area than just yourself.
- Pay at or Above Median Wages
Pay alone won’t address the staffing problem. Still, when paired with other elements, such as benefits, work-life balance, and culture, it can significantly increase your small business’s appeal to prospective employees. Small companies struggling to stay afloat may find it challenging to raise salaries.
Overcoming staffing problems in small companies is simply providing what you can afford. Be open and truthful when it comes to staffing shortage as a small business about the financial situation of your small business, and highlight the numerous additional advantages that employees receive from working for your company.
Final Thoughts!
Staffing shortage as a small business can be particularly challenging, and for small enterprises, they may be completely debilitating.
But remember that issues like these often drive the most creative solutions. Instead of just getting by this season, you’re setting up your business for long-term resilience by reevaluating your hiring, training, and retention strategies.
Need expert guidance tailored to your business? Read Collett Thorpe books to get the best business advice.
