Love it or hate it, ‘pivot’ is the buzzword of the pandemic. Here’s why.
Natalie MacDonald
Senior News Editor, Special Projects Lead - APAC @ LinkedIn | Currently on parental leave
Welcome back to #FoodForThought, a newsletter serving up food for your brain — exploring news headlines, economic trends and workforce issues. Below, you’ll find insights from new LinkedIn Live show #TogetherInBusiness and a spotlight on returning to the workplace. Hit subscribe above to be notified of future editions and share your thoughts in the comments.
Whether it’s the wheelchair business making hand sanitiser or an events management agency producing scrubs and PPE for healthcare workers — “pivoting” has become a lifeline for small business owners and the buzzword of the pandemic.
Built out of recognising a market gap or a desire to keep staff motivated (and employed), small businesses across the country have refined or re-imagined pre-existing skillsets to create new offerings for customers. Small business owners flooded this post on LinkedIn with ways their business had adapted during the crisis.
But that's not to say it's all plain sailing. Looking after employees, working with suppliers, assessing constantly changing government guidance takes its toll.
How does a festival and events company become a furniture builder? What is the children's entertainment firm's secret to keeping little ones engaged (and can we learn)? And what are the innovations supermarket retailers would like to see from suppliers?
This week on #TogetherInBusiness, Stagekings MD Jeremy Fleming, Drakes Supermarket Director John-Paul Drake and Little Party Face Susie Kazda joined me to talk innovation and answered your pivot questions. Together we covered:
- The SMBs taking a leap of faith during the pandemic
- Why ethical decision-making is the cornerstone of any successful business
- The rollercoaster ride of small business and why it's ok to be vulnerable
- Why planning for the future doesn't necessarily mean un-pivoting
Watch: Together In Business in full above (and forgive us some of the technical difficulties!)
Latest conversations
As Australian restaurants attempt to eke out a profit from restricted diner numbers, ‘no-shows’ have become a costly irritant.
An influx of adults are moving back home with their parents, multiple studies show. A Finder.com survey found a quarter of households have an adult child living at home.
Many of the 32,000 casual workers drafted by Woolworths and Coles to help combat rampant panic buying as the coronavirus lockdown loomed are working on significantly slimmed down schedules.
Australian companies — and scores of workers in temporary or contract-type roles — are sifting through the implications of the Federal Court’s ruling on casual workers. Here’s what people are saying.
Resources for your business:
- How Treasury is supporting small businesses.
- Income support for sole traders
- The Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman My Business Health portal.
- Information, grants and assistance state-by-state.
- COSBOA COVID-19 small business quick links.
- The Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry's employer help guide.
Spotlight on: Reopening
What will the post-pandemic workplace feel like? A cluster of companies have begun to sketch out some likely answers.
Experts say that arriving at work will be akin to entering a multistorey car park, where you're told there are 50 spaces open on Floor 3, and only a few on Floor 6. Desks will be farther apart, more people will work at home at least part of the time, and office seats won't be permanent.
And it’s not just how we work that has HR teams in a state of flux, but even how we’ll commute which is creating a headache.
Sydney workers have been urged to rethink their commute after modeling found that the city would need three square kilometres of car parking if just one-third of commuters who regularly use public transport start driving to work.
While increasing numbers of returning workers are likely to shun public transport and consider cycling or even jogging back to reopening offices, companies are facing a big logistical challenge.
While would-be cyclists will be hanging out for a shower before they get to their desk, “health and hygiene concerns” around communal shower and bathroom amenities presents a significant conundrum for corporate facilities.
Next week on #TogetherInBusiness
Join LinkedIn News Australia on Thursday at 12pm AEST for a new edition of #TogetherInBusiness; a weekly LinkedIn Live show talking about the issues that matter to small business owners and their employees.
Each week, we'll hear from business experts and answer your questions on topics like maintaining cash flow, retaining customers, wellness and mental health.
Next time: As governments and businesses alike start to prepare for a return to the workplace we explore the future of work and what reopening looks like in a post-pandemic world.
We're taking your questions and insights: What is the roadmap for reopening your business? How do you feel about going back to work? Is your company changing the way it operates?
Share your thoughts, queries and questions in the comments below and we'll get them answered in next week's show.
Watch #TogetherInBusiness live Thursday at 12pm AEST. Follow LinkedIn News Australia to receive a notification when we go live.
Something for you
Each week, I try and end on something to make you smile and think. This week it’s the small acts of making a big difference.
Out-of-work Australians are finding support from complete strangers. Cocoa Bar owner Nuala Quigley decided to offer free coffee to anyone out of work — all they had to do was say 'aloha' when ordering.
The Newport cafe owner told Get Hired Australia the codeword is to avoid anyone feeling ashamed and reports "people started using it right away".
And Cocoa Bar isn’t the only one lending a hand. Business professionals on website Elev8me are volunteering to read over strangers' CVs, while the Council of the Ageing Tasmania has launched information hub Work45+ to help connect older job seekers with employers.
Are you looking for work? Be sure to subscribe to the weekly Get Hired Australia newsletter.
- With reaching for our phones a common coping mechanism during social distancing, many people are starting to feel their anxiety levels rise from having too much screen time. Here’s how to take a digital detox.
- The more time we spend on a subject, the more susceptible we become to close-mindedness, blinding us to new ideas and opportunities. Psyche’s Christian Jarrett has these tips to shake things up.
- The very best teams contain talented, emotionally intelligent individual players. But as a group, they also have a high degree of emotional awareness, according to research.
Additional reporting by: Andrea Beattie, Cayla Dengate, Andrew Murfett, Scott Olster
Great research and knowledge gone into this piece. Thanks for sharing.
Design Director
4 年Yes, I definitely pivoted my business direction from factory produced ceramics sold to retailers into all eyes on my Etsy shop with new and completely handmade products for the Covid era that I can make and ship from home! (self-draining soap dishes, soap dispensers, and other lifestyle ceramics for the home :)
Founder and Principal Solicitor - Immigration Lawyer
4 年As an immigration law firm, the Australian border closure has posed challenges for our business. The majority of our client base is unable to enter Australia. We are pivoting by targeting other areas of the market that are still open, such as temporary visa holders that are already in Australia and looking to apply for permanent residency or Australian citizenship applications. We are excited about moving forward in the post-pandemic world.?
General Manager at Fine Pizza Restaurants Chain
4 年Life just seems stuck and look like going no where these days
General Manager at Fine Pizza Restaurants Chain
4 年Lockdown and Hospitality industry 'Restaurants ,Banquet and Hotel need to reopen. LAHORE:? By Tariq Bajwa ;Food and Beverages &Restaurant &Cafe Management professional? The financial crisis that unfolded with the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic has disrupted almost all sectors of the economy, and the hospitality industry appears to be on even shakier ground than suspected. In Punjab, a province that is known for its rich cuisine, the restaurant industry is only beginning to feel the shocks of the health crisis and the restrictions that followed. According to one conservative estimate, the sector has received a serious financial blow.? Experts believe the industry is likely to end up with a 70% deficit. In the post lockdown situation, the tight restriction on public gatherings, limited cash flow due to limited business and high overheads, are all pointing in a bleak direction for the restaurant industry. According to details available with the Express Tribune, a total of 15,000 small cafes and restaurants across Punjab are vulnerable to recession. In some cases, the owners might have no option but the shutter the business completely.? Already struggling to break even, one expert pointed out, a significant number of restaurants and small food outlets will go bust before we reach the post-outbreak period. According to the Lahore Restaurants Association, to stay afloat, most food outlets will have to cut operational costs, and downsizing appears to be the first step in that direction. On the other hand, the government appears to be mindful of the job losses in the hospitality industry. “The Punjab government has recommended to the federation to open hotels and restaurants with strict SOPs,” said Senior Minister of Punjab Abdul Aleem Khan.? The government, Khan said, is aware of the consequences of keeping the industry shut. According to one estimate, the hospitality industry employs more than 500,000 workers.? If the shutdown continues, most of these workers face longterm unemployment. Dotted with more than 60,000 restaurants, Punjab is known for its love for food.? Lahore alone has more than 6,000 hotels and restaurants, according to data provided by Maria Bajwa, a member of the Lahore Restaurants Association. He pointed out that the restaurant industry provides business to more than 40 other sectors, including packaging, delivery, agriculture, poultry, and dairy. “All of these sectors will be affected directly due to the closure of restaurants,”Maria? Bajwa added. The industry, he said, collectively has lost billions since the government imposed restrictions to prevent the contagion from spreading.? One distraught vendor in the market said:? “With people now eating nearly every meal at home, we don’t have enough business. I only sell a portion of the perishable items now.” As the super spreader takes a firm hold in Punjab, the government, too, realizes that a longterm shut down will not help the already battered economy. With a timeline to reopen restaurants still in the pipeline, the government, along with the restaurant association, has created a long list of stringent rules for the industry. Rules about seating capacity and proper protection against the virus will have to be followed by all food outlets. “Under the new rules, the total seating capacity, across the board, will be reduced to 50%,” said Kamran Sheikh, an executive member of the Lahore Restaurants Association. Sheikh pointed out that the restriction would significantly reduce the business. “Not many outlets can absorb the losses,” he cautioned. Commenting on the plan to reopen the sector, Senior Minister Abdul Aleem Khan said, the Buzdar administration has recommended that hotels and restaurants must reopen. However, hotels and restaurants, Khan said, must follow the SOPs. Punjab Food Authority Director General Irfan Nawaz Memon said official records show a total of 30,000 registered hotels and restaurants.? Once finalised, Memon said, the SOPs will be implemented across the province. For the food lovers in Punjab, the Covid-19 crisis has snatched their favourite activity. One regular dinner said: “The government should reopen restaurants and hotels as soon as possible.”? “We can’t live with a shutdown forever,” the Maria Bajwa