![\"women](\"https:\/\/images.crowdspring.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/29110135\/christina-wocintechchat-com-ef7hn40wbaq-unsplash.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/images.crowdspring.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/29105513\/screen-shot-2021-09-29-at-10.55.09-am.png\")
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<\/div>2. Offer competitive wages<\/h2>\n
Many major companies are increasing wages to attract new talent and retain existing workers<\/a>, including Amazon, McDonald\u2019s, Walmart, Costco, etc.<\/p>\n Yes, those are larger organizations with bigger budgets. But competitive wages and pay are one of the best weapons in any business owner\u2019s arsenal. You’ll attract more talent if you can offer salaries comparable to businesses in your geographic area. And if you\u2019re hiring remote workers<\/a>, you must be competitive since people have more choices when working remotely.<\/p>\n It\u2019s straightforward and more of an obvious approach, but it works, and that\u2019s what matters.<\/p>\n Another thing to consider is introducing benefits or incentives for employees, even those working part-time<\/a>. Signing bonuses, loyalty rewards, and the chance to earn additional income are also great ideas.<\/p>\n One of the more challenging aspects of remote work policies is enforcing employee rights, such as break time<\/a>, and time off, and ensuring people step away from business processes \u2014 like email. That\u2019s because remote work essentially shifts the responsibility to the employees, and it\u2019s easy to get caught up in your work and forget these essential perks. It\u2019s also the fastest way to experience burnout and ruin productivity.<\/p>\n While the same scenario probably doesn\u2019t play out for your small business unless you have remote workers, it does show it\u2019s vital to honor employee rights.<\/p>\n Make sure, no matter how busy your shop or business is, that people are taking their breaks and lunches and getting time to wind down. You don\u2019t want your best workers staying late every day and every shift because, eventually, that will wear them down and even cause them to walk away.<\/p>\n About 75% of people<\/a> who willingly leave their jobs don\u2019t quit the job; they quit their bosses.<\/p>\n That could be you, or it could be another supervisor on the job.<\/p>\n Whatever the case, it highlights the need to create an understanding and supportive environment for your employees. That is imperative in today\u2019s landscape, with all the rising stress, economic problems, the pandemic, and the heap of issues the world faces today.<\/p>\n That doesn\u2019t mean you must allow employees to be insubordinate without consequences. It just means taking an interest in their personal and work lives and ensuring you provide as much support as possible. During a family crisis, reassure them it\u2019s okay to take time off and that they won\u2019t be fired.<\/p>\n Many businesses are already doing this kind of thing. Mike Draper, from a small clothing and design shop called Raygun, overhauled his PTO<\/a> (paid time off) strategies to accommodate workers so they can deal with personal issues without the fear of being let go. \u201cWe provide an environment where people don\u2019t find themselves in that situation. Work doesn\u2019t have to be intractable.\u201d<\/p>\n As a small business owner with a huge vested interest in your brand, it\u2019s easy to get tunnel vision and look for people who match your existing team your interests or fit within a particular ideal criterion.<\/p>\n Instead, focus on creating a diverse, equitable workspace and always give potential candidates the benefit of the doubt. Maybe that person you didn\u2019t think would be a good fit, for one reason or another, actually will be?<\/p>\n Of course, you shouldn\u2019t ignore background checks<\/a>, but eliminating some of your natural bias can bring a whole new world of opportunity to your business.<\/p>\n The gig economy is strong and here to stay, especially with our low-contact requirements because of the pandemic and significant health concerns.<\/p>\n As a small business, you can embrace these outsourced and crowd-driven programs, especially for local deliveries, custom graphics design<\/a>, and other services. For example, you don\u2019t need in-house designers to help you create a company logo<\/a>, website<\/a>, or brochures<\/a>. You can save tens of thousands of dollars<\/a> and outsource that work to experts.<\/p>\n Instead of hiring and managing your crews, perhaps consider involving staff augmentation companies<\/a> or other third-party providers.<\/p>\n Also, consider tapping into contractors and freelancers. Of course, this may or may not be possible for local-only operations, but the opportunity is always out there.<\/p>\n3. Secure employee rights<\/h2>\n
4. Be understanding and supportive<\/h2>\n
5. Diversify<\/h2>\n
6. Consider outsourcing<\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/images.crowdspring.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/06164945\/small-business-blog-master-cta.png\")
<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"