There’s no question that the Covid-19 crisis caused immense disruption in the business world. Many small businesses were forced to close temporarily, work shorter hours & even lay off staff members.
What’s clear is that despite Covid taking a backseat in recent news, the business world is still very much in recovery mode.
One symptom of this is the difficulty in which most businesses are having in re-acquiring staff. Whether it’s full-time, part-time, casual or specialized job positions, it’s simply become harder & harder to find staff.
Wondering why, and what you can do?
Where Have All The Staff Gone, Anyway?
It’s easy to blame the staff shortage on the Covid pandemic; and sure, it was definitely the reason many staff were (in some cases) forced to leave their workplace.
But, now that the threat of Covid has died down, why aren’t they returning? And where have they gone?
Most workers will have moved onto entirely new jobs since leaving their pre-covid workplace, in order to sustain themselves financially.
In some cases, workers may actually be reluctant to return to their previous jobs: regardless of Covid having died down somewhat, the memory of losing their jobs to the pandemic is still quite fresh for many workers.
They fear that if Covid hit once before, then it may be entirely possible for it to hit again. Their fear is not unfounded, but it is clear this reluctance of specialized workers to return to their previous jobs is what many businesses are struggling with.
Evolve Your Workspace
Covid-19 may have been the catalyst for mass exodus from the workplace – but it may not be the reason so few are returning.
In response to the pandemic, many businesses were forced to enact working from home policies, and this opened the door to many experimental ways of doing things that would normally have been considered viable.
Many industry leaders were skeptical that working from home could work; the pandemic proved that it was entirely possible.
If you’re looking to attract the right staff to your business – and are having a little trouble – then it may be worth considering the following changes:
- Implementing working from home capabilities. In this day and age, a company that offers no potential to work from home can be seen as quite outdated & unaccommodating to staff, especially if they have children.
- Workplace health & safety. Post-Covid, everyone is now much more aware of sanitizing themselves to prevent catching anything. Staff need to know that proper procedures are set in place to prevent Covid spread, and their safety will be guaranteed if it does.
- Connecting with colleagues. Although the pandemic proved that working from home is possible, many workers were left feeling isolated & severely affected by months of quarantine. A support network in the workplace can greatly alleviate this: after-work drinks or asking HR to check on everyone’s mental health can go a long way to building a positive community
What Does This Mean For the Future?
The world of business is an ever-changing landscape, but the last two years have rapidly sped up this shifting process. It is more than likely in the next ten or so years, business as we know it may be completely unrecognizable.
Many workers are calling for a trial of the four-day work week, with many small businesses (the ones most capable of initiating this change) having already been trying it for over a year.
In fact, certain countries in Europe (Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Etc) are already trialing a three-day work week.
Whether or not these work weeks are compatible with your business, one thing is certain: in order to attract a steady flow of new & old staff (and retain them) business owners will need to adapt.
It may be a day a week working from home, or it might mean pivoting your business into the online space to create new positions. It may mean being experimental in the future; your business may need to change in the very near future in order for new & old workers to feel comfortable working there.
Looking for new staff & wondering how their additional salaries & payrolls will affect your business revenue? Worry no more: the A Firm are Australia’s most trusted accountants. Give us a call today for all your bookkeeping needs!