Don't be the Biggest Loser
Adora Ikwuemesi
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Business Leaders, Be a Winner!
Don’t Be the Biggest Loser!
Accept the new reality. Embrace it and don’t look back.
Things have changed for good. The biggest winners will be those who have accepted this reality and their actions are evident.
The biggest losers will be those who are still holding on to the past believing things will return back to pre-covid. They are hesitant to act and have started moving themselves and their offices back.
Upon everything that has happened, they still missed the memo.
Well here's a final reminder.
1. Work from home is here to stay. The office as you knew it is gone. Downgrade your office space to the barest minimum. You no longer need the overheads, especially if you are a service-based business whose clients hardly come to your space. Office space held mainly because of staff is like holding on to past glory. Leave offices for businesses whose core business is real estate, they do a much better job than you could ever do. Rent space from them when you need it.
2. Accept the contingent workforce. Again, the overheads are not necessary. Get staff when you need them, and if you need them all the time, consider a different employment model. 2020 revealed the risk of full-time employment to both employers and employees. People with skills in demand will demand higher compensation or work for more than one employer. Maximise the benefits of the new reality, explore freelancers, contractors, partnerships and employee share option schemes. Encourage an ownership mindset.
3. Go digital or go home. Without digital skills, individuals and businesses have no future. Digital skills is not restricted to core computing skills like programming. In fact, most digital skills are not technical. They include any work activity that can be done online e.g customer service, digital marketing and e-commerce. Embracing skills that keep you and your business visible online is the key to the future.
4. HR professionals, begin to finalise those many policies and practice areas that need to be revamped to better support these new business realities. Policies around working from home, managing performance from a distance, ensuring work-life is managed more effectively without damaging mental health are key. Productivity has been higher with employees working round the clock however these schedules are not sustainable, neither are they healthy going forward. Let us address them and put in place good measures to benefit from the leverage gained from digitisation and working from home.
Be a winner! Embrace the new ways, don't look back.
??Adora Ikwuemesi