Devan Moonsamy
The coronavirus has left many individuals in a financial fix. Even though you may have not contracted the virus but they have however been casualties of decisions made by companies during the time of the pandemic. Retrenchments, role reduction and even working hours being cut has resulted in major salary setbacks.
Companies have acted in accordance to the best solution to keep the business afloat. But what does this mean for the employee who is now faced with adjusting their life style following the business decision taken by the company? Will that employee have the same enthusiasm to perform their tasks with the commitment and dedication?
In some cases, the answer is no. The employee would not be putting in the 110% as previously done. This could be due to the uncertainty around what their salary would be like or how they can be sure they won’t be heading to the chopping block next.
The only way to address the changes implemented and to discuss what is expected going forward is to communicate. Have regular meetings to address concerns and motivate staff to perform with the same vigour as they did previously to take the business back to where it used to be.
If you are in the restaurant industry, which has been hard hit by the crisis as most people are still sceptical about eating out use strategies to bring in foot traffic. Run a special if you can to allow more sit in dining which will result in more staff being called for duty.
Our tourism industry has also just been given the green light to get back to normal. Unfortunately, international tourists are still not allowed to visit. Which means for now locals are required to fill up hotels and spas to assist this industry. We have to acknowledge that the lack of solid income in the past few months has dented the pockets of South Africans. As a result, this industry will be faced with challenges in terms of rooms being booked by locals. In this time, we can still ensure our standards are well maintained.
Sadly many of us have had to dip into our savings and for others who had no savings it was a matter of survival. We need to use the time left in 2020 to support our local businesses and to try and boost our staff confidence to perform outstandingly as we try to pick up from the damage to the economy.
Devan Moonsamy is the CEO of ICHAF Training Institute and the Author of Racism, Classism, Sexism and the other ISM’s that Divide us. ICHAF offers SETA-approved training in business skills, computer use, and soft skills. Devan specialises in conflict and diversity management, and regularly conducts seminars on these issues for corporates. To book a seminar with Devan or for other training courses, please use the contact details below.
Tel: 011 262 2461 | Email: devan@ichaftraining.co.za | Website: ichaftraining.co.za | devan-moonsamy.com