With talks of recession looming and the rise of AI, many employees are sensing uncertainty as companies navigate changes. As a manager or business owner, you may wonder how you can ease the tension
While change is inevitable, here are three ways to make it less painful.
Invest In Your Employee’s Careers
When everything is uncertain, the fact that your employees will need a job in the future rarely is. As a leader, you must think long-term. What skills are you teaching employees that they can take with them anywhere? Ask employees where they want to go and find ways to give them work that aligns with their goals. For example, you could give a tech employee a project they could showcase on their portfolio. Remember to nurture their soft skills also. Find their strengths and help them hone them. This will give your employees the tools to succeed regardless of where they go.
Tackle Necessary Pivots
Many employees and employers alike fear pivoting. In a grim example of failing to pivot, Netflix approached Blockbuster before it became its own entity. Blockbuster declined Netflix’s offer for their movie mailing services. As you know, streaming has become a huge business. Blockbuster eventually went out of business (except for one store) and Netflix’s idea disrupted the media industry and has millions of viewers. The moral of the story here is that workforces and the way people work are ever-evolving. Rather than fearing change, help your employees embrace the changes you can make. Teach employees to learn AI integration. Show them that you are committed to staying current by exploring changing their roles (if necessary) to pivot to business models as needed. Allow them to bring creative solutions to the table. Show of the most innovative steps for your company could be hiding in one of your employee’s minds right now. Rather than fearing change, embrace it and add excitement to it.
Be Honest, Be Empathetic
There are some changes you cannot control. Employees can certainly sense uncertainty when rumors of layoffs and budget cuts start around the office. Be courageous and honest with your employees. When you know change is coming do your best to prepare them for the transition. If you know ahead of time, communicate it. Put yourself in their position. Be committed to writing excellent letters of reference. Budget for generous severance packages. Do all you can to communicate well and make changes as easy as possible. Your employees may react initially, but if you open up hiring again later on employees will remember the managers who took care of them during transitions.
Cost-Effective Staffing Solutions from SVS Group
One way to handle uncertainty is to minimize it! Hiring the right people and hiring help so your staff doesn’t become overwhelmed can increase retention and employee satisfaction. SVS offers direct placement, contract-to-hire, temporary staffing, and even payroll services in Northern California and Arizona. We take the stress out of HR so you can focus on leadership. Give us a call today!
