If you’re a business owner or manager you will have first-hand experience of the truism that ‘your people are your greatest asset.’ Without people to run, represent and deliver for your business, you have no business. Richard Branson reinforced the point when he famously said, “Clients do not come first, employees come first. If you take care of your employees, they will take care of the clients.”
He’s right; managed well, your workforce can be one of your strongest forms of competitive advantage. But a well-managed workforce looks quite different today than it did even a few years ago. Today a well-managed workforce needn’t simply be a team of full-time equivalents, and those that are employed full-time, must be consistently upskilled, stretched and engaged if they are to deliver the competitive advantage today’s businesses seek.
With much of our world settling back into a new version of ‘normality’, now is an excellent time to review your workforce and HR requirements. We’ve put together some thought provoking questions to get you started.
What’s your winning combination?
What dynamic do you want and need from your workforce? Must everyone be a full time employee? Or could you reduce risk and cost by outsourcing some work to an independent contractor, or hiring staff on a contract basis?
Are you tailoring your management approach?
As with most business decisions, the way you choose to resource your business will come with pros and cons. So, ask yourself:
- Are you aware of the benefits and disadvantages of using employees over independent contractors, and visa-versa?
- Do you understand the different employment regulations and documentation that each requires?
- And do you know how to manage these team members differently?
Are you onboard the digital bandwagon?
Like it or not, we live in an increasingly digital world and, while it may feel scary and even threatening for some, there are a raft of benefits to be enjoyed by those businesses and employees who adopt new, digital approaches. So, ask yourself:
- Is your business up to date with the latest IT developments in your industry?
- Could you free up employee time to innovate and grow your business by automating some manual tasks?
- Are there new platforms out there that could help you better manage your business and teams?
Could you invest more in your people and culture?
With unemployment at a record high, staff retention is a challenge right now, so understanding – and addressing – the main drivers that lead to staff turnover is crucial. While salary will play a factor in some people’s decision to stay or go, workplace culture and opportunities for professional growth are also major contributors to employee satisfaction. So, ask yourself:
- Do you know what creates a great workplace culture?
- Are your people organised in a way that allows them to leverage their strengths?
- How invested are you in upskilling, or cross-skilling, your people so they can enjoy professional growth and even provide cover for absent colleagues?
Are you making compliant resourcing decisions?
Maybe you’ve worked your way through the questions above and come to the conclusion that some roles may now be surplus to requirements. Perhaps you’ve identified some personnel behaviours that are interfering with a healthy workplace culture, or maybe you’d like to automate some elements of existing roles to unleash new growth. Before you take any action, make sure you know the correct way to handle any changes.
A quick check in can go a long way, so feel free to get in touch to discuss any employment law or HR support queries. Our initial chat is always free, and if you decide you’d like some independent, impartial and up-to-date support, you can make use of our qualified HR and employment law expertise for as little as an hour, or as long as you’d like. It’s up to you.