As businesses lick their wounds in the aftermath of covid-19, many are looking to make savings, increase efficiency and above all find a way to survive. On the face of it, this is a sensible move as no one ever planned for three months of little or no business activity.
But the smarter businesses will look beyond the bottom line.
At the beginning of the year no one could have imagined what was to come. The local property market was booming, finance companies were recruiting and 2020 looked as though it would be a good year for local businesses. Whilst many companies have had disaster recovery plans in place for a number of years, they had never been truly tested. And when the time came for them to be implemented, it was a testing experience.
The island’s workforce, save frontline healthcare workers and those providing essential services, retreated to their homes under government orders. Remote working became the norm overnight. While some high-profile local businesses almost immediately furloughed and laid off staff, for others it was business as normal. Some firms forged ahead with their recruitment plans and new staff members had the unusual experience of starting their next job from their own home, with inductions and workflow managed virtually.
But it wasn’t long before many more company bosses started to look at streamlining roles, placing workers on reduced hours and restructuring positions. While this approach creates efficiencies, it also introduces fragilities. Stretching staff across too many areas leads to mistakes being made and can be counterproductive. Resilience and loyalty are key in the post-covid world.
In recent weeks, while we have unsurprisingly been contacted by those who have lost their jobs and are looking for work, we have also seen a more unusual trend. There have been good people coming to our attention who are in secure roles but looking to move. It’s possible that these individuals were looking to change jobs before the pandemic. But have been shaken by the way their employers responded in the most difficult of times.
It’s often only in times of extreme difficulty that true colours are shown. It doesn’t get much more difficult than a global pandemic and reputations over the last few months have been both strengthened and shattered in terms of being a valued employer.
If you have been affected by this extraordinary period in all of our working lives, don’t hesitate to get in touch and let us help you find your new employee or career path.
Email [email protected] or call us on 714634.
