The thorny issue of labour shortage … with or without a pandemic

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The thorny issue of labour shortage with or without a pandemic is quite a challenge and if there is one lesson that business leaders have learned from the pandemic, it is that the enterprise must adapt… and be Agile more than ever!

Critical decisions are on the horizon for all leaders: what actions and investments should they prioritize to both optimize human comfort and maintain performance and productivity in this new context of hybrid work… and labour shortage?

We share with you here some remarks and thoughts on the subject.

 

Resource Mobilisation or the Management and Quality Control Challenge in Telework Mode

The first challenge that managers faced during the pandemic was to maintain productivity, which, it should be noted, declined in 2020 and 2021.

The production of goods and services has been affected in many companies for several reasons: labour shortage, illness (physical and psychological) and mortality but also loss of motivation, communication problems, stress and anxiety and of course, supply problems.

This pandemic and its multiple hazards will have revealed the true value of your most precious asset: your employees. But this ordeal will also have brought to light the true mettle of true managers, because God knows that keeping troops motivated and dedicated during this period was not easy.

Another challenge, just as difficult to meet, was the Quality Control of Products and Services because, despite everything, the expectations of Consumers and Clients never decreased. And with the decrease in productivity and supply, and therefore in revenues, the competition became fierce!

In short, congratulations to managers who were able to brave the storm and keep the ship afloat, but let’s remember that the game is not yet won.

 

Assessment of actual vs. future needs

Prevention is better than cure, especially when it comes to labour shortage, because experts agree that the situation will not be corrected for several years.

If there was ever a time to plan, anticipate and consider plans B, C and D, it is now, because at the risk of repeating ourselves, the labour shortage will not be resolved for several years.

It is therefore more important than ever to align your workforce needs with your growth forecasts and delivery schedules… and to add the X factor to your Strategic Planning, X as in the following scenarios:

X% of your workforce will jump ship due to salary issues

X% of your workforce will be missing due to shortage

X% of your workforce will…

As we know, in Quebec, Labour Standards have a lot of work to do to adapt to this new reality of telework. Are you ready to take the lead in this area? If so, you would have got yourself an ace facing the competition!

In short, Managers, be forward thinking if not clear-sighted because the labour shortage will be at the heart of your concerns for many years to come!

 

Salary is not all…

Once you’re in line with the market in terms of salary, that’s when the real battle begins for quality labour.

You’ll need to highlight to this valuable workforce what sets you apart from the competition and why working for you is the right choice.

Is your company on the cutting edge of technology?

Are you a “responsible employer”?

Are you recognized as a disruptive, innovative, creative and daring firm in your industry?

Do you offer an advantageous retirement plan with options to buy along the way?

Perhaps you offer excellent opportunities for advancement?

Or do you have opportunities for promotion abroad?

Or maybe you are simply the biggest player in your market!

In short, you’ll need to tell your story, and maybe even a very good story to convince the workforce.

 

Why not hire an external firm to solve the labour shortage problem?

Well yes, why not? Why not hire an outside firm; really?  It certainly won’t be more risky in these times of labor volatility, no!

On the contrary, we believe that it may be an elegant solution to the thorny problem of labour, especially in IT where salaries have exploded and where the shortage is more critical than in most other sectors.

Historically in IT, companies hired developers (and sometimes even interns) to meet the needs of improving existing IT systems or developing new functions.

Today, the situation is more problematic.  The hiring process is much longer and sometimes only possible with the hiring of foreign workers, which delays the hiring process even more.

Hiring an external IT development firm will offer several immediate advantages, particularly in terms of technological expertise:

– The external firm is selected because it has the required expertise; internal IT resources may not have the expertise to accomplish the IT development project at hand

– The external firm is selected because it is up to date with the latest technological advances, the latest tool releases, etc.

– A local firm will normally apply the best practices in software development

 

In short, it’s a good idea!

Good Luck.

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