I’m trying to stay positive and be adaptable and flexible in such trying times while working from home in my new temporary office space, but it can be pretty difficult. If we think about where we were this time two weeks ago, it’s very different to now already.
There’s so much information online about Covid-19, wage subsidies etc and many questions that people are asking around their entitlements. If you’re a business owner, you’re probably being bombarded (like I have) with emails to attend webinars to help you work on your business because you may not be working in your business. There is a lot of information being shared and a lot of people offering their services. So if you have the opportunity or time, it’s a good time to be planning for a new future for your business.
Preventing burnout for you and your team
I’ve taken a bit of a step back since the first few days of lockdown and just tried to focus on some of the urgent things that needed to be done. Just because I, like many others, was feeling a bit of the burden and could see myself running into burnout. It’s very easy when you’re faced with a crisis to have your foot on the accelerator, and think you can just keep on going at that pace. But at the end of the day, you do need to stop and check in with yourself and reset. And that’s what I’ve been doing the last couple of weeks and I encourage you to do the same for yourself. And please also encourage that for your team.
Communication is key
Now a quick update on where things are at in the HR world including what you as an employer should be prioritising right now. Your team needs as much some clarity as possible around what you’re going to pay them each week, how that’s going to look. Ensure that you’ve communicated with them before you have made any decisions or take any action, and that you’ve actually got their consent and agreement before you take action as well.
It’s tricky times when you want to propose to an employee that, “Hey, instead of getting paid $1000 this week, you’re actually only going to get $585.80. Otherwise, I’m going have to make you redundant.” It’s a pretty hard conversation for both parties to have. So do it with kindness, do it with patience and understand that everyone’s going to respond a bit differently.
Don’t forget that if you do need help with those conversations we are here as your HR sidekick. We can be that person on the end of the phone, coaching you through the hard parts. And at the end of it reminding you, “Hey, it’s five o’clock, it’s Friday night, how about you have a beer?” When you need a reminder to take your foot off the accelerator, put it on the brake and just pause for a little instead of pushing forward.
I had that same exact conversation with a client last week. He had said to me that for the last three days, he’d been working till two o’clock in the morning. So I said, “Oh, well, I think its beer o’clock. Let’s pick up tomorrow and talk numbers and details, when you’ve had a beer and a good night’s sleep.”
Because nothing was really going to change between then and the following day.
The advantages of getting some HR help right now
Our package of services covers triaging, support and coaching for your business. If you need that person at the end of the phone;
- confirming whether you are doing the right thing
- talking you through how to communicate it
- suggesting things that you may not know about
- helping you create a plan
- encouraging you to look after yourself and your team
Then we encourage you to get some HR help right now.
Right now is the perfect time to put a plan into place for not only how your business survives the lockdown, but also how it evolves post-lockdown.
- Let’s look at 1.0, the first version triage it, put the sticky plasters and the bandages on.
- Then let’s look ahead to 2.0, while we’re working through the lockdown.
- And then we can also start focusing on what you want to see when you come out of that tunnel and the light is bright, which is your business version 3.0.
Check if your business is able to access funding for an HR advisor
Did you know that you can access fully funded HR advice from us going through the Regional Business Partners Network? So if you want more information about that, and how that works then please get in touch, you will have to register via the Regional Business Partners Network.
We’re all about giving people perspective when maybe they can’t see the forest for the trees and giving you the solutions and ideas that you may not be able to see because you’re in the thick of it. Feel free to get in contact with us if you need an HR sidekick to help you see the forest for the trees.
