Regardless of what industry you’re operating in, every business past a certain size has to grapple with staffing. For some businesses, trade doesn’t always slow down nice and neatly when the festive season starts getting going.
Having a broad swathe of your employee base take off for the holidays while the work keeps ticking along can be stressful to say the least. In this article, we want to give you some of the big do’s and don’ts of running a skeleton crew and maintaining a base line operability through these periods.
What’s a skeleton crew?
A skeleton crew is what you call the minimum number of employees you need around to stay operational. For businesses that stay open year-round, skeleton crews are just a fact of life.
But, importantly, most businesses run with a particular number of people for a good reason. In a workplace, everyone needs to be pulling their weight. When there are less of you around, it’s important from a management perspective to moderate your expectations and make some adjustments to permit for the shifts in workflows and productivity that you’re going to experience.
Why Choose FIFO Work?
FIFO work isn’t without its challenges, but it can open a range of employment opportunities. Australia is one of the world’s largest producers of mineral commodities, the current state of mining in Australia sees the mineral sector contributing 8% of the nation’s GDP.
What this means is that there is money in mining, and a way to get your hands on some. Qualifications and a strong resume will see potential workers flush with opportunities to take up work in FIFO mining projects. Graduates and others without a wealth of experience can also find well paid opportunities to get ahead.
Do - Plan and Be Transparent
The biggest detail by far is effective planning and communication. To ensure that you aren’t running into any unnecessary hardships, it’s important that you are clear on what you’re walking into.
Communicating your needs to your employees and encouraging them to make their intentions clear well in advance of any leave they mean to take, is going to help you plan effectively for periods in which they will be away.
Don’t – Forget to Prioritise and Delegate
A reduced number of hands on deck demands that you be pragmatic about the amount of work you expect from your employees. In order to keep your operation ticking along, prioritise and delegate the work that is essential and achievable over that period.
Take stock of the work that your team has on its plate. Can any of this be arranged differently? Which aspects of it truly are crucial? Getting the best out of your team during times where some or most of them are away is all about managing the tasks at hand and moderating expectations.
Do – Show Your Appreciation
It’s important to remember that not everyone working through the holidays is necessarily happy about the arrangement. A certain degree of managerial sensitivity is needed when making requests of employees. If you find yourself asking for more than you usually would, or even finding yourself having to negotiate the particulars of a leave period, remind yourself that you’re asking individuals to make a sacrifice in their personal life for the sake of their working life.
Learn more with Zoom Recruitment
Running a skeleton crew isn’t an undertaking most personnel managers look forward to. But with some planning and an attuned eye, it can be done when it needs to be. If you’re looking to learn more about staffing and recruitment, look here to Zoom Recruitment for more tips and insights.
Our team of experienced recruitment professionals can help you get the best out of your workforce. Get in contact today to find out more about what we can make possible for you and your business.
