After a tumultuous year, many businesses and individuals are ready to say goodbye to 2020 and are planning for the new year. While some are eager to return to what normal looked like pre-COVID, ask yourself if your old normal is truly what you want. Now is a good time to think about resetting your business and identifying ways to build a stronger, better business. It’s time to embrace this opportunity for change as we plan for the future.
Thinking strategically about team structure
As you hit the reset button on your business, consider what you can do now to protect your business during a future crisis. If you could build from scratch in a stronger way, what would that look like? This year’s crisis was a pandemic, but future crises may look different. It is important to structure your business strategically and efficiently.
Spend some time reviewing your organizational chart and workflow. If you have never formally looked at this, now is the time. Are your processes streamlined and efficient? Look at the responsibilities of your managers. Are they overloaded with too many people to manage? Are they given too many tasks to reasonably accomplish while also managing people?
If your organization was forced to furlough people in response to the pandemic, examine your structure as you begin planning for recalling those employees. If your business has significantly thinned down, be strategic about who you recall and when you recall them. Rather than going back to your old staffing levels immediately, consider what positions are most critical and ramp up slowly.
Reviewing job descriptions and requirements
After creating a plan for your structure and workflow, it’s time to consider job descriptions and job requirements. Without intentional oversight, employees tend to create their own job descriptions. Daily job duties tend to morph over time and often drift away from the original job descriptions.
As you think about future staffing, consider the needs of your business and be sure the job description and daily duties make sense for the position you are hiring. Rather than basing the job description on the talents of the last employee who was in the position, think strategically about what your organization truly needs from each position. From a day-to-day standpoint, what do you need them to do for profitability and productivity?
Implementing your reset plan
After you’ve analyzed your team structure and reviewed job descriptions and requirements, it’s time to implement your plan and make your business more resilient overall. Communication is critical in this process, as you want employees to understand any changes you’ve made and the reasoning behind them. Meet with your employees to explain any changes to the duties or expectations of their role and be sure they have time to ask questions about the changes. Help them to see how you are building your business on a more solid foundation and how it benefits them as well.
If you’re bringing back furloughed employees, communicate to all how that process will work. Also keep in mind that employees are now returning to a business that might look a little different than before. Take time to communicate the plan to all of your employees so they know what to expect moving forward.
This year has been one of upheaval in many areas, and your business may look very different than it did a year ago. As we approach the new year, embrace the opportunity to hit reset in a positive way and come back stronger for 2021 and beyond.
If you need help analyzing your current staffing levels and organizational chart and determining the best steps for strategic growth, contact us today to see how we can help.
