Better Communication = More Flexibility
At small businesses, owners and employees work shoulder to shoulder – according to a Homebase survey, 62% of small business owners and 64% of hourly workers ranked “relationships with coworkers” as their number one contributing factor for loving their jobs.
However, working shoulder-to-shoulder doesn’t always mean working hand-in-hand. Poor team communication hinders the collaboration required to meet demand – at all times, but especially during a seasonal surge. If employees can’t communicate their needs, they’ll often grow frustrated and become increasingly dissatisfied with their jobs. Preventing this dissatisfaction is exceedingly crucial in an industry where an employee’s attitude can make or break the customer experience – and in the case of tipped labor, may impact a team member’s overall pay.
Flexibility is a proven weapon against burnout and discontent. However, the potential for increased flexibility may be locked behind the same communication barriers that are making employees so frustrated.
Managing employee schedules through a rigamarole of texts, calls and emails makes it nearly impossible for businesses to accommodate employees’ schedule preferences and shift swaps. These practices are also extremely time-consuming, leading to more back-office work that takes team leaders away from the heart of their business.
To improve communication, small businesses should streamline workforce correspondence through a single convenient app. Ideally, this will be the same app they use for other team management functions, like scheduling and timekeeping. With everything in one place, it becomes easier to see the opportunities for flexibility, and teams will feel more empowered to ask for it.
