Staffing is bigger than just hiring the “right people”.
Not long ago, staffing was under a microscope. Starting around March-April 2020, a global event turned the workplace upside down – COVID. Protocols like 2-weeks away to slow the spread, shelter in place, essential versus non-essential workplaces, the six-foot rule, and, in some instances, no mask and no vaccine meant no job. Federal, state, and local mandates structured how businesses should run – and those that were customer-facing came under very specific guidelines.
Staffing got disrupted accordingly. What became more interesting to observe was how employees and their employers responded to the nature of the job and how both looked at employment.
The Great Resignation
The Great Resignation was an economic trend coined by Texas A&M University professor Anthony Klotz beginning in early 2021. Here’s the boiled-down backstory:
- Millions of workers quit their jobs during the COVID-19 pandemic to find higher pay, better benefits, and more flexible work. People began to reflect on what they were doing, why, and whether the proverbial grass was greener somewhere else.
- The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics tracked record quit rates, peaking at 4.5 million quits in November 2021. In total, over 40 million U.S. workers quit their jobs across 2021, a record later surpassed in 2022.
- Hardest-hit sectors with the highest turnover were hospitality (food service), healthcare, retail, and education.
- Employers sought to figure out how best to keep the staff they had. In response, many firms offered large bonuses and high salaries to attract new staff during the abnormally tight labor market.
Something happened shortly after – from 2022 to 2023. Many job-hoppers realized their new roles were not what they expected or anticipated, leading to the Great Regret where a large percentage wished they had never left their old jobs. In fact, surveys show that up to 80 percent of workers who switched jobs had some level of regret, and about 70 percent of those unhappy job-hoppers tried to get their old jobs back.
This suggests it’s not just one thing that drives employment numbers up or down, and staffing is more than a result of “good” company culture. It will always be a balance of employees knowing what they want and employers providing what they have. Staffing, or the managerial process of finding, choosing, and hiring the right people for the right jobs in an organization, is what happens when all the elements successfully come together.
So, are we ever fully staffed?
No, not really. Even with a full headcount for the number of team members needed at the location, there is always a need for recruitment, hiring, and staffing. We are always looking for talent. More on that another time. Another reality is that we are always one resignation away from “short-staffed again” – compounding the difficulty of executing company initiatives and meeting every customer, every time.
I contend “fully staffed”, while certainly a good thing and desired outcome, isn’t truly attainable. Yet in a state of being “partially staffed”, focus shifts to leveraging coverage and scheduling to support the needs of the business. At such times, leadership may need to step in, or key people may have to shift to support another location. We pivot resources to ensure the best possible customer experience. This becomes mission-critical in select times of the year.
Staffing is pivotable.
All of this to say: we are coming into a season for selling where staffing is key. Fourth Quarter or Holiday Selling is where a majority of businesses enjoy their most profitable part of the year with the increase of customer traffic. The scale and speed of business ramp up during this time, and terms like “all-hands-on-deck” become a rally call to drive operational efficiencies, customer interactions, and sales performance.
We prepare for the “busyness” by making sure we have enough people to cover all the needs of the business. Knowing we are going to be in the whirlwind from about Thanksgiving through the end of the year, right now, in October, represents the best time to get a staffing plan squared away.
Here’s the catch. Staffing is not just about having enough people to fulfill the desired schedule. We have to consider the full process, the bookends – recruiting and hiring on one end, onboarding on the other. I have found the more important target in “fully staffed” is ultimately about quality, not quantity. How are we ensuring we have enough candidates and, once hired, enough “fully trained up and equipped” team members?
We may have a target to have hired and staffed enough people by Halloween for the Holiday Season. Where are we finding them and then what about their skills, abilities, and knowledge to do the job well? I have certainly seen my fair share of businesses that have enough bodies on the floor. But a pulse does not guarantee performance.
Our Take-Away
People are our greatest asset in business, and having enough of them is one thing. Yes, we need people on the schedule to support the needs of the business. But this is what the Great Resignation taught us: As employers, we need to (1) ensure the applicants know what they are getting into and (2) demonstrate a culture where people are valued – where hiring turns into an open door of opportunity in the onboarding process. Employees who make up our staff expect and deserve to be seen, heard, and appreciated.
We also owe it to the customer to have team members who can suit up, show up, and successfully deliver on expectations of the job, regardless of the time of year. Having staffing squared away now makes it easier to provide the best customer experience when the chaos of the season takes center stage.
It’s October. Are you fully staffed and fully squared away, or is this the first you’ve thought about it?
#RussellCellular #Perspectives #LeadershipMatters #StaffingBeyondHeadcount #OpportunityValueTeam #HolidayHiring
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