You don’t have to change the status quo alone.
Written by HRuprise founder, Rebecca Weaver.
This is a painful time for small business leaders.
The Great Resignation has rightly shifted negotiating power into the hands of employees. I for one am celebrating this with no holds barred! 🎉
But while this power shift is holding corporate America’s feet to the fire, it’s also caught small businesses and startups off guard.
Small and young businesses were among the hardest hit by the pandemic, and got little governmental relief compared to their corporate counterparts.
Now that everything is reopening, these same companies are facing a sudden surge in demand, which seemingly conflicts with the rise in employee expectations around pay, benefits, and work-life balance.
I speak to clients every week who are struggling with the combined chaos of booming demand and the Great Resignation.
Everyone’s up to their eyeballs and overwhelmed. Nobody seems to have the bandwidth to pause, look around, and ask themselves and their teams: What needs to change?
This is a problem, because the pandemic taught us that everything needs to change.
From unionization and walkouts, to the mass exodus of women from the workforce, to the search for inclusion and purpose that’s powering the Great Resignation, employees are making it clear they are DONE with the status quo.
But how do we change the status quo when we’re maxed out simply trying to stay afloat?
I think the more urgent question is: What will happen if we don’t change the status quo?
If we don’t find a way to prioritize employee wellbeing, nip misconduct in the bud, and hold ourselves accountable for the patriarchal and white supremacist structures that have traditionally defined capitalist business models, our companies won’t survive this period of change.
Believe it or not, your company culture is more critical to your success than this quarter’s revenue, that big investor meeting or your upcoming product launch.
Your company culture is the launchpad of your entire business offering. If your employees aren’t thriving, your business won’t either.
But here’s the good news: Support is available. There are resources, insights and friends at your fingertips. You’re not alone.
Here are some small, incremental practices that I've found can really make a difference. They are simple and immediately applicable. You can try them out today if you want!
1. Take a breath.
I know it feels chaotic at work, but don’t let that chaos infiltrate your core being. Step back, take a breath and ground yourself.
Build regular, sacred blocks of time into your calendar for self care and big-picture thinking. You can use this time to go for a walk, drink water, read, journal – whatever you need to do to connect to your inspiration and yourself. Invite your employees to do the same with their calendars.
Practice gratitude. Your business is alive and booming after one of the hardest global events in modern history. Take a moment to appreciate this, and appreciate yourself for sticking with it.
Appreciate your employees. Everything has changed for them too. Even when there’s friction at work, try to appreciate that you’re all in this together, and you all want the same thing: To thrive in your job, to have a positive impact, and to be supported by your team.
2. Check in with your employees.
One of my favorite nonprofits, MAIA, does a “thermometer check” at the top of every meeting. Red, yellow or green? Pick the color that best describes how you’re doing today, and share as much or as little as you want about why.
Meeting check-ins are a simple, short, and astonishingly effective way to create emotional connection within the group. This will actually generate greater efficiency and focus when you get down to work. It also gives individuals an opportunity to flag for the rest of the team if there’s something going on.
On a bigger scale, find time to check in with your people and ask how the transition back to hybrid or in-person work is going for them.
You can ask:
What did you learn during the pandemic that’s most important to you?
What “silver linings” did you discover that you want to continue?
How can I or the company support you during this transition?
For me, during lockdown I began volunteering at my kids’ schools. Now that everything is reopening, I have structured my work schedule to allow me to continue this. It’s important to me, and so I’ve made it a priority. You can empower your employees to do the same.
3. Build community.
This is a challenging time, but you’re not alone! Many of your peers are in your exact same boat, grappling with the exact same dilemmas. Reach out and connect with them.
This might be through a Facebook group, a local business club, or even just walking around the block if you have a brick-and-mortar storefront and getting to know your neighbors.
You can also do it online. We’ve recently launched the HRuprise Community for exactly this purpose. It’s a social platform for owners, founders and leaders of small and startup businesses.
Here you can commiserate and share learnings with peers who, like you, may not come from an HR background but are committed to changing the workplace status quo.
The Community gives you access to templates for HR policies that you can customize for your own needs, and a library of thought leadership on tactics for HR disruption and radically-human company culture. There are also discounts for one-on-one coaching sessions if you need customized advice.
Most of all, the Community is a safe space where you can ask hard questions about how to blow up traditional HR “best practices” and create a better, more equitable way forward. You can share openly about what you don’t understand, and find peers who’ve been in your shoes and can help you figure it out.
Summary
Just because you’re doing something original doesn’t mean you don’t deserve connection, support and time to breathe.
This “post-pandemic” moment (ahem, pandemic’s not over, but that’s a topic for another day) is extremely challenging for businesses.
But it’s also a huge opportunity.
Businesses always form their best habits during difficult times. This moment is an opportunity to prioritize what matters most, for your company, your teams, and yourself.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: REBECCA WEAVER
Rebecca Weaver is the Founder and CEO of HRuprise, a marketplace that connects people with HR coaches to help them grow, develop, and navigate their toughest workplace challenges. LEARN MORE
