Should You Purposefully Grow Slowly Because of the Employee Shortage Crisis?
Recently, three of our clients expressed concern about growing so fast that their workforce couldn’t keep up. They feared their customers would suffer poor customer service as a result.
As many of you know, there is an employee shortage across the country. Companies just can’t find enough people wanting to work. The hope of returning college students and available high schoolers offers some hope, but the employee crisis is real.
So, what should you do? Should you restrain business growth? Here are a few thoughts.
First, if your company is growing, don’t take for granted that it will always grow. There are very few times that a company can purposefully choose not to grow. This opportunity might never come back again. Be slow to grow slowly!
Explain to your customers at the onset that service might be a bit slower. Most everyone is aware of the employee shortage right now. As long as customers are aware of the issues, they are more likely to be patient and understanding. Teach your staff what to say so they are all on the same page when interacting with customers.
Be relentless in your employee search. Make it part of your marketing…like every day. There are people looking for jobs. They just get to be more choosy because of the shortage. So, let as many people as you can know that you are looking.
Offer benefits in addition to salary. Can you offer meals, gym memberships, or creative schedules? If you just go toe to toe on salary, you might not win.
So, if you can grow, then grow. Business growth is a privilege. Don’t take it for granted.
As always, please let us know if we can help.
Gordon Duncan
https://gum.co/2021coachingtoprofit