One of the greatest resources impacting business success is staff. When your business is under financial stress it is understandable to focus only on your business challenges. But your staff may be feeling the stress, too. So it is important to consider their wellbeing and how it can impact on your customers.
- Check in with staff on how they are dealing with challenges.
- Ensure they are aware of the realities of the risk to prevent unnecessary stress and practical steps to limit risks (Department of Health and Human Services advice).
- Keep staff informed about what is happening within your business (they may be afraid their job/shifts are at risk).
- Encourage staff to engage with customers in a positive way. If there is less custom you may be able to provide a more personalised service, thanking customers for their continued support when they do come in.
If managed well, rebuilding from an unexpected event or emergency can bring teams closer together and provide a shared sense of achievement and loyalty. Staff may be affected for a long time and just as businesses recover at different speeds, so do people.