Staffing problems - the scene
You set up your business, hire the best staff to do the job and in time things start to flow, then you start to find out that the staff have poor morale and they want to be elsewhere. What to do?

Firstly understand that people are like seasons, there is a right and wrong time to do things. Example, imagine planting seeds in late summer and expecting to harvest them in winter. The answer is simple no results for the planting of seeds and the effort to put them in. The same can be said of people.

Often business people will be focussing in their business so much they fail to work on it. This can be the case with staffing issues too and often they are seen as the last link in the chain.

Like any wise thing in life you have to work at it to get effective results, however if you do the same thing twice and expect different results that is stupidity! So aim to find the core problem and deal with it. I do not suggest for a minute that this is easy, however asking the staff for further clarification on why they think staff morale has dropped could be a fair starting point. Once you have discovered some points to be worked on consider what you can do to take pressure off the problem.

Far too often employers have solved staffing problems by sacking the staff member and hiring a fresh face, yet this will cost time and money in getting the staff member up to speed in your business practices etc. It is far easier to work with people than against them, just because you are the boss does not mean you have to be a dictator and push people around. Invest some time in working with your people to know what they are like, their strengths and weaknesses.

Rewarding the behaviour you want
In many instances staff have been working hard and getting little reward other than money. Often workers will go beyond the call of duty if they are recognised for their efforts (a simple thanks and a warm smile works wonders if done in a genuine manner)

The aim here is to reward the behaviour you want and begin to ignore the behaviours that are not serving the organisation well. This way you can work with what you have so that you can focus on getting the right outcome.

Giving to get in return
For many employers they will suggest that they already give tot he worker in terms of them being paid for what they do, yet many researchers suggest that this is only the starting point, with workers who are secure and comfortable in the workplace are always going to give more.

To make them feel more comfortable and secure may take you time if you are not used to this approach. However like all good things it will take some effort and perhaps you could find small things to keep your staff at ease, here are some suggestions.

• Have a short staff meeting once a week, tell them how things are going and point out any good things about the week that has just gone. Give them the chance to feed back information.
• Set aside time to wander and chat to your staff, giving them some time to chat with you will enable you to build rapport further, and assist them to appreciate you as a person rather than as a boss.
• Find small things you can improve upon. One team in a busy factory built staff morale and interest by allowing them to put safety tape on any item they felt needed repair. Soon the factory was plastered with tape, and all the hot spots were soon repaired. Staff felt they had an input and management saved a fortune on OHS claims.
• Take them to lunch or have a staff BBQ occasionally, get to know your teams in a relaxed manner that can foster a desire to be in the workplace, not a fear of being there.

Planning the next step
The effort of developing a plan to work with what you already have can be one of the greatest investments you will ever make. In time as you become more comfortable in working with your staff you can see the subtle differences and be able to see rises in productivity.

Working with people is far cheaper and more effective than against them in some way. How far can you go to ensure your business is blossoming rather than staying stagnant?

Stumble it!