Getting Back to Business – Post Pandemic Personnel Management

This is the second article in my four-part series on getting back to business post pandemic. The first blog talked about marketing your small business in a post pandemic world and gave 3 things you should do as part of your new normal marketing including; Loving your clients from 6 feet away, Telling clients about your new normal and Expressing your gratitude to your clients.

In this article we’re going to talk people, specifically your people. Starting your business back up from being closed or slowed isn’t as simple as asking everyone to show up for work on Monday morning and there are legal requirements depending on whether you furloughed, laid off or reduced hours for your employees. While we’re not going to focus on these questions today, these are all areas where you should seek legal counsel. It’s an expense but one that will prevent future issues.

Today we’re going to focus on the more human (and less regulatory) side of the business. Chances are, your business doesn’t look the same now as it did before the pandemic. There are new procedures, expectations and realities that need to be taken into account. It’s important that you take steps to insure you and your employees are ready when they show up for business.

Be fair but be real

You love your employees but let’s be honest, you love some of your employees more than others. There are always going to be star players, solid performers and average performers. That’s okay, every business needs leaders and followers. You may have had some average performers before the pandemic who were struggling. They’re not bad employees, you want to bring them back but you need to address any concerns. The return to business is a great chance for a fresh start for you and them. Take time with these employees to coach them and set goals for improvement. Let them know that they are valuable but can become even more valuable and that you want to work with them to get there.

Also, if relevant, make changes to client assignments as part of the re-launch. You might have assigned clients to particular employees before the pandemic hit. They might have been good matches at the time but something has changes since then. Perhaps location of client and/or employee changed, maybe the needs of the client no longer match the employee’s skills, etc. It will be much less disruptive to reassign a client to a different employee now after an extended time away than it will be to do it when things are up and running full speed.

Introduce new procedures

You might have spent the last few months updating or writing from scratch your policies and procedures. If so, good for you! We’ve had more free time during the pandemic and it was a great opportunity to make sure your ducks are in a row procedure wise.

Now is the time to make sure your employees are trained, comfortable and ready to go with these procedures. Whether they’re employee facing procedures like requesting vacation or client facing procedures like your cancellation policy, they need to be thoroughly communicated to your employees. Consider holding an all hands meeting to walk through them and answer questions. Get them out in written form to everyone or incorporate them into your existing employee or operations manuals.

Reset expectations

This truly is a re-start for most businesses. Even if you were partially open during the pandemic, your return to full strength is a chance to reset expectations with your employees. There will be new expectations related to the post pandemic precautions that everyone should understand. There are also expectations that existed before the pandemic that can be re-iterated. And this goes both ways. You should communicate your expectations to your employees but they should also know what to expect from you.

Come back with a ROAR!

Do you remember the excitement and buzz among your employees and your customers when you first launched your business? You probably had some awesome marketing efforts focused on introducing your new baby to the world. Now’s your chance to re-create that excitement. You can come back in with a whimper by simply re-opening your doors or quietly restarting services. Or you can come in with a roar by announcing and marketing your return. You’ve survived the pandemic and that’s cause for a loud celebration. Shout it from the rooftops and make it count! 

Other articles you might like:

Independent Contractors vs Employees – Oh My! – https://thepetbusinesscoach.dog/ic-vs-employee/

Eliza is the owner of two successful pet related businesses; Preferred Pet Partners, a pet sitting and dog walking company, and The Pet Business Coach, offering coaching and resources to aspiring or current pet related business entrepreneurs. She maintains two awesome blogs. One for pet parents https://preferredpetpartners.com/blog/ and one for pet business owners https://thepetbusinesscoach.dog/blog-page/.  Eliza also supports various animal rescue and shelter organizations. Eliza, her husband, and their three pets live in Nebraska. Visit her websites: www.preferredpetpartners.com or www.thepetbusinesscoach.dog.