When it comes to working conditions, you have more room for manoeuvre than you think
Against a backdrop of labour shortages, you've adopted innovative strategies to attract the best possible candidates to your company. As you emerge from this tumultuous period, how do you position yourself with regard to the working conditions offered to your current and future employees?
There is still a crying need for staff in many companies, while the financial situation is certainly not the same.
The current crisis is shaking up what has been hard-built, but it also provides an opportunity to strengthen our position by identifying value-added practices, not only from an operational point of view, but also from a human resources management perspective.
A more pragmatic approach is probably more appropriate in the current context for making decisions that are as much about your business as they are about people. You don't want to lose out on the time and effort you've invested in surrounding yourself with a golden team!
Here are some thoughts on how to approach the delicate subject of working conditions.
Establishing the company's long-term future
You are certainly aware of the importance of having a clear corporate vision and sound financial forecasts to help you bounce back from the current crisis. But when it comes to your human capital, do you know who your pillars are? These are the people who hold the key talents that are essential to your company's long-term success, and who help to take it to the next level.
What are their specific needs and to what extent are you able to meet them in order to ensure their retention?
It's not just a question of money, but also access to training, opportunities for advancement, access to equipment and technologies that enable them to perform better, flexible working hours, and so on. All these practices have a major impact on ensuring that you retain your key employees.
Taking advantage of changes to the work context
A crisis brings with it its share of disadvantages, but also hidden opportunities for streamlining inefficient administrative or operational processes, revisiting management methods, and so on;
Have you been able to identify any work procedures that could be made more flexible?
Take advantage of this opportunity to resolve certain irritants and simplify your work processes, thereby improving working conditions and, at the same time, the performance of your teams!
Have you taken advantage of the situation to reposition your organisational structure?
Your company is going through different phases. Following the curve of the resumption of activities due to the COVID, your human resources needs are strongly influenced.
Although undesirable, vacancies give you the flexibility to reposition yourself to meet your organisational needs. What's more, this situation can give you leeway to improve certain conditions for existing employees. Is this a good opportunity, for example, to introduce four-day weeks?
What are your options for improving quality of life at work?
By teleworking, many employees have improved their working conditions, while at the same time improving their quality of life and reducing related costs (transport, clothing). Currently, more than 39% of employees would like to continue this practice. What's the situation in your company?
Have you considered allowing flexibility on working hours?
Offering leeway over when employees come in and out of work, while maintaining certain periods of compulsory attendance, is worth its weight in gold to employees. Can't telework within your company? Here's a great alternative!
Have you considered introducing a performance bonus scheme?
The resumption of your activities is a good opportunity to recognise individual or team performance and to boost the remuneration of your employees who perform better.
How are your competitors positioned?
A sound understanding of the labour market in your sector of activity will help you make strategic and, above all, competitive decisions.
For example, you wouldn't want to go it alone by imposing a pay freeze when your competitors aren't adopting the same strategy. How do they behave when it comes to employment conditions? Take that into account!
Continue to be a leader!
A leader is recognised by his ability to face adversity, to bounce back from difficulties and to surround himself with people.
You therefore have an opportunity to focus on transparency, to call on the collective intelligence and commitment of your staff. That way, they'll be more united in the face of your delicate and difficult decisions on working conditions.
Your resources are your partners, just like your banker, your suppliers and your customers after all!
Transparency and courageous management are your best allies in times of uncertainty, and these management values make you an entrepreneur that people want to work with!
Make sure you're fair in the way you deal with working conditions - arbitrary management can be a nightmare when badly handled.
Don't hesitate to consult our advisory services teams to help you get the job done!