The number of open vacancies is historically high, and unemployment hasn't been this low since 2003. 84% of entrepreneurs have too few employees, which affects the workload among staff. In early August, company doctors already warned that more people would end up at home due to overstrain. So, as an entrepreneur, you already have too few staff, and then part of your staff ends up staying at home, increasing the workload on the remaining colleagues even more! And finding new colleagues helps to reduce the workload, of course, but this is often thought of too optimistically. In early April, 23% of entrepreneurs hoped to hire new colleagues, but in practice, only 9% succeeded.
In times like these, it's understandable that many employers are focused on what needs to happen right now: "I need staff now. A vacancy needs to be posted online now. We need to hire a recruitment agency now." And yes, there's still a lot of work to be done every day, but especially in times like these, it's crucial to take a step back and calmly assess the situation. Instead of looking outward, first look at your immediate surroundings: who currently works for my organisation? What are their tasks, and what talents do they have? Who is experiencing workload, and who isn't (or who hasn't dared to say they're experiencing workload yet)? What motivates them, what keeps them up at night, what do they need? It's easy to focus blindly on recruiting and hiring new staff, but do employers have sufficient insight into the talents currently working for them?
A simple piece of advice for employers, even in times of enormous workload, is to make time for your people. Have a cup of coffee and engage in conversation. It won't immediately alleviate someone's workload, but it will make them feel seen and heard. Also, share your concerns; show that you're human. It contributes to a greater sense of togetherness; we may be drowning in work, but at least we're doing it as a team! Going a step further: pay attention to their personal and professional development by using online assessments. A great tool to initiate conversation and gain deeper insight into what makes people happy or unhappy, how they deal with workload, and what kind of support they appreciate. These insights also help employers distribute work more intelligently; by letting people do what they enjoy and excel at, it helps reduce workload. And feel free to let go of traditional job titles and job descriptions and look beyond the boundaries of different roles and departments. There's a good chance that employers already have a lot of talent in-house that can help them "win the war" or at least significantly reduce the workload.
Want to know more about how online assessments can help you reduce workload on your staff? I'd be happy to invite you for a cup of coffee!
