A lot of attention gets paid to keeping everything running smoothly when business is booming. But what about when things slow down a bit? Quiet times pose an interesting challenge for managers and employees. They can test the patience of managers, the morale of a team and show up some of the cracks in how your teams interrelate.
In this article, we want to have a look at five ways you and your business can weather the storm of slower trading periods. Keep reading for insights into how you can protect the things that make your business tick, and how you can make these periods productive.
Training & Development
Without an active project on hand, it’s important that your employees have resources to look to for guidance and the chance to work on themselves. Training and development initiatives are a great way to spur on the sorts of enriching engagement that fuels positive and productive employee experiences going forward.
Motivated employees will relish the opportunity to engage in a bit of professional development between rushes in activity. Your business will also benefit greatly from the improvements made in your employee’s skillset, industry knowledge and training.
Touch Base & Get in Touch
Different industries have different bodies of demands that they place on their workers. The stress of being under the pump though, that is something most people can identify with. Quiet periods aren’t just a respite from the stresses of busy trading. They are an opportunity to get back in touch with how you can better support your workers’ efforts.
Busy trading periods can be a good stress test for your business. They can be a great way of developing your understanding of how your business holds up under pressure. If you are anticipating a quiet period following an intense trading period, you will want to consider how you are going to gather data and learn from the tests your business has just faced.
Talking directly to your staff in the quiet periods following a rush gives you the chance to demonstrate that you appreciate their efforts and value their input. Take the chance to touch base and get back in touch and your business will be better for it.
Follow up with Your Clients
Quieter periods don’t always mean that there isn’t work to be found. Follow up with current and prospective clients and start a dialogue about how you can further their work and their projects. Your organisation will benefit from taking the opportunity to touch base with your list of clients and find out more about how you can deepen your working relationship.
Give Your Employees the Space to Disengage
Not every moment of the workday has to be strictly productive. Sometimes the healthiest thing to do is to permit yourself and your employees the opportunity to disengage. A slower trading period can be a great way of reminding your employees that they are there for more than just a salary.
We’re seeing a positive trend among employers in mining, construction, commercial industries toward encouraging workplace initiatives that encourage a sense of work/life balance. The benefits to both the lives of your employees and your business will be compounded the boost in morale that a bit of team R&R makes possible.
Reflect, Assess & Prepare
You, your team and your organisation are made effective by systems and processes. Quieter periods give you the time to reflect. Ask yourself, what worked? What had room for improvement? How can we do better next time? Taking this time to reflect on how you and your team go about your work is a luxury that is usually reserved for these quieter trading periods. Don’t let this opportunity slip by.
Recruitment, Retention and Success with Zoom Recruitment
Zoom Recruitment is an agency that specialises in putting together excellent working relationships. We can help you and your organisation find the employees that are going to help your business reach new heights.
If you’re looking to learn more get in contact today. Our experienced recruitment consultants will be happy to have the conversation about what Zoom Recruitment can do for you.
