Planning for the future has been hard for all businesses in the light of the COVID-19 pandemic, but it can also reinforce the potential for firms to grow successfully by identifying ways of helping employees grow.
The Coronavirus pandemic has had two major impacts that will concern business leaders. Firstly, the disruption to economic activity wrought by the restrictions on travel, trade and social interaction has caused many businesses direct financial strain.
Secondly, the crisis has impacted severely on the mental health of many people. Partly this is through fear of – or actual experience of – job losses, but also concerns over the risk that the virus poses to their own physical health and that of their families. Another consideration is the isolation those living alone have endured.
For employers, the task of dealing with the damage is not just a matter of doing what they can to help ensure a mentally robust workforce is able to steer their firm into calmer waters as the economic recovery takes hold; it is also about how new staff can be helped.
How the government plans to help young workers
The announcement by chancellor Rishi Sunak of a £2 billion fund to help get younger people into jobs is set to form a major part of efforts to kick-start the economy. This is a demographic that has been hit hard by the shutdown of sectors they disproportionately work in – such hospitality – and the aim will be for the government to cover the cost of the minimum wage to encourage employers to take them on.
If increasing your staffing levels is part of your plan – especially with some financial help from the government – the likelihood is there will be some need to provide help to young workers happy to get a new chance, but who will have suffered a lot in recent months.
How you might invest in young people
However, alongside that is the potential benefit that investing in mental health and robustness courses can bring. By using courses and training in techniques to boost mental health and productivity at a young age, employers may be able to embed good habits and thinking in people who might end up working for them for many years.
This kind of investment in more than just practical skills could be critical in helping gear up your workforce for what may be a slow and bumpy recovery, especially if a second wave disrupts the economy badly again or a long wait for a vaccine to arrive slows down the long-term re-opening of the economy.
How Daryl can help
This is why Daryl Woodhouse’s training courses can be so invaluable. By boosting the mental resilience and productivity of your workforce, you can build a team that is able to cope with whatever challenges lie ahead, not just over the next 12 months, but for many years to come. It could be the most effective investment you can possibly make at this time.
