Small business owners are currently facing staff shortages in large numbers. When this occurs, it can be challenging for a business of any size to deal with, regardless of whether the shortage is believed to be for the long or short term. If the current job market is telling us anything, it’s not exactly easy to be a hiring manager right now with so many positions being very difficult to fill.
A low-staffed team can damage any local business if not handled carefully. Are you facing the challenges associated with running a short-staffed business or team? Fortunately, when you employ the right practices, your business can prevail and still succeed with a smaller staff than what is ideal. Read on to learn how to handle a short-staffing issue and make your business succeed with fewer employees.
Get Creative and Adjust Accordingly
As a part of your strategy to succeed with fewer employees, encourage your staff to work smarter, not harder. Find techniques to maximize efficiency with new processes and operations practices. One of the first things you can do is to integrate new technology.
- HR software to alleviate burdens associated with the timely tasks associated with recruiting, hiring, and onboarding.
- Integrate AI technologies to help relieve burdens on your frontline customer service representatives to free up their time to focus on services requiring a human touch.
- Implement technologies that can perform repetitive and mundane tasks to free up staff to focus on work that requires higher-level thinking.
- Encourage employees to use other apps and tools on their devices for time management and organization.
Other approaches you can take include implementing cross-training within departments. This is a win-win solution. Employees can get a change of pace, feel they are being challenged, and have the opportunity to add new skill sets to their resumes. You’ll benefit from better coverage, workforce sustainability, and stronger efficiency.
Reward and Recognize Your Team 
Organizational studies have long found rewards and recognition have resulted in better productivity and stronger levels of morale within workplace teams. Company-wide recognition improves employee morale when individuals take on more work than usual.
The key is to learn which intrinsic or extrinsic motivate individual employees, keeping in mind there is no one-size-fits-all answer. Many employers don’t realize more money isn’t necessarily the primary factor that motivates employees. While a bonus or raise can certainly be appreciated, many employees simply enjoy recognition for their hard work. This could come in the form of a handwritten thank you note, a luncheon, or countless other ways—the options are endless.
Unsure of the type of reward or recognition that could motivate your employees? Simply ask them.
Looking For Additional Tips?
At Zimmer Communications, we know your goal is to operate a successful business no matter what the job market looks like, so we hope these tips help provide some insight if your business is temporarily short-staffed. Reach out to our team of marketing professionals for more effective recruitment strategy tips to help grow your business.
