When COVID-19 hit, nearly half of small businesses had to furlough or lay off staff members. But as the economy reopens and businesses rebuild, you may be ready to hire or rehire. Deciding how to staff your business may be heavily influenced by the ongoing crisis, even as you rebuild for the future. These four steps can guide you through the hiring process.

1. Determine your current needs

First, examine whether your business model shifted due to COVID-19. If so, your staffing needs may be different. For example, if you are now offering remote services or doing more of your business online, you may need a more robust tech team. This could mean rethinking the roles in your business and coming up with new job descriptions.

Action tip: Make a list of the tasks you find yourself putting off or that you or a team member don’t feel comfortable doing. This can help you pinpoint the skills you’re looking for, which can in turn help you build a detailed job description that can help you fill the role.

2. Consider the pros and cons of rehiring any laid-off workers

Since small businesses can feel like family, you may be tempted to rehire anyone you let go. However, whether you rehire workers may depend on whether your current needs have changed (step one). If you still need your former employees’ skills, rehiring them can offer big benefits, like a shorter learning curve and loyalty to your business.

However, if you’re hoping to rehire former employees to reduce paperwork, be aware that you may need to file the same tax forms and other paperwork that you would with a new hire.

Plus, some furloughed workers may not want to come back — whether over safety concerns (especially for in-person work) or because they found work elsewhere. They may also be less willing to adapt or pivot their roles to reflect any changes you’ve made to your business while they were let go.

Action tip: Resist the temptation to reach out to previous employees informally. Instead, document any attempt to rehire former employees in writing, including details about the terms. If Congress passes new aid packages or updates the rules governing the forgiveness of loans backed by the Small Business Administration (like the Paycheck Protection Program), this documentation may be helpful.

3. Plan your hiring process

When it comes to searching for talent, you may want to think outside the box. If, after the first two steps, you’re still not sure exactly what type of role or employee is best suited to help you rebuild, you might want to hire a worker for a contracted period of time. Or you might hire two part-time roles instead of one full-time employee. Just be sure to check the guidelines around hiring contract workers versus full-time employees in your area.

Once you’ve come up with a clear role and job description, your search for talent begins. This recruitment process may look quite different than it did pre-COVID-19.

Even if your business operates in-person, you may have more success finding job candidates if you offer a virtual interview option. Consider what remote interviewing looks like for your company. You might offer remote and in-person options, for instance.

If you’re a remote team or want to be extra cautious, create a strategy for remote onboarding as well. Creating a robust digital onboarding process could go a long way in helping new staff feel welcome.

Action tip: Make sure you have technology in place to handle (potentially remote) interviews and onboarding, such as a user-friendly digital calendar for appointments, video-conferencing software for interviews, and secure file sharing for important documents.

4. Prepare to answer COVID-related questions

In addition to standard questions around compensation and benefits, potential hires may ask you about your response to COVID-19. Think about how you’ll answer questions around safety precautions, sick-day policies, health insurance, and remote work.

Candidates may also ask whether a role has room for growth or if it’s temporary and rooted in COVID-19-specific changes to your business. They may also be curious to know how you would handle their role if COVID-19 upticks again or if your business faces any new forms of uncertainty.

Action tip: Make a list of the toughest questions you might get and how you want to respond. Share the list with your team and get their input. This has dual benefits: It reduces the chance you’ll be caught off guard and helps get your team on the same page.

While the COVID-19 crisis has presented clear and unprecedented challenges, a growing number of small businesses are optimistic about the future and ready to bring on new staff members. Making smart choices about staffing can help you navigate this crisis, fortify any changes you’ve made to your business strategy, and be prepared for a changing small business landscape.

Sources: Harvard Business Review, McKinsey & Company, Embroker, Monster, U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Society for Human Resource Management

Being a small business owner can come with higher-than-average levels of stress. That was especially true in 2020. Navigating your business through this type of uncertainty, while acting as a leader to customers and employees, may require unprecedented optimism.

Here are three ways you can approach staying positive when things are challenging.

Stay on top of stress

Stress is normal when you’re running a business. But when stress gets out of control, it can affect your performance and impact your business. That can cause more stress, in turn.

Breaking this kind of stress loop can help you stay positive. Start by identifying that you’re stressed. You may have a shorter temper, change in appetite, or difficulty sleeping.

Action tip: Write a list of the behaviors you exhibit when stressed or angry. If you can recognize the signs early, you may be able to combat stress and improve your mood before your business is affected.

If you notice one of those signs, try to pinpoint the root cause, getting as specific as possible. Uncovering the true cause of stress can help you manage it more productively.

You may also want to make a list of activities that help you manage stress. (You can even separate it to things you can do in 10 minutes and long-term approaches.) Having a go-to list at the ready can help you tackle stress when you may not be thinking as clearly.

Action tip: Ask your employees to make lists about their stress signals and ways to manage that stress. See if you can make tackling stress a group effort — you may be able to share ideas for managing symptoms or help one another recognize the warning signs.

Stay on top of social distancing and its side effects

Entrepreneurs often experience higher levels of stress or depression even in “normal” times, and business owners have a notoriously hard time balancing running a business with their personal lives.

This means the past year, with remote work, learning, and overall social distancing measures, may have had a unique impact on business owners. Not only has social distancing limited everyone’s ability to balance work stressors by spending time with friends and family, being in a leadership position means you’re not only working to combat isolation in your own life, but you may be dealing with the side effects of isolation among your employees and customers.

For instance, more than three times as many adults say they’ve experienced depression since the COVID-19 crisis began. Look for signs that your customers or employees are dealing with unexpected stressors, like helping kids with distance learning, while also working from home. For instance, if your customers are feeling anxious, they may be more aggressive with your employees, which could have a domino effect.

It’s important to combat this with a great customer experience, and that may require a positive outlook. If your employees are dealing with stressed customers and struggling with the isolation of social distancing themselves, it may be hard for them to provide that service.

In order to encourage positivity among your employees and, in turn, your customers, consider policies that encourage employees to take time off and focus on their mental health. For example, one Chicago-area small business owner gave his employees a day off for a mental health break.

Once you notice the effects social distancing may be having on you, your business, and your connections, you can begin to create small mental health breaks that encourage positivity.

You may not be able to take a full day, like in our example, but setting aside small windows for you and your employees can make it easier to keep a positive outlook. And this can help you share positivity with customers in turn.

Action tip: Set boundaries, share them, and be diligent about enforcing them. For instance, consider adding language like, “I won’t be responding to emails from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.,” to your email signature. Doing so might encourage your employees or vendors to take a few hours off, too, since they won’t be able to reach you.

Keep things in perspective

There’s a difference between feeling positive in the moment and feeling optimistic about the future. If you’re having a hard time feeling positive right now, see if you can find things to look forward to as you rebuild your business.

For instance, as shutdowns extended into the third quarter of 2020, fewer business owners were positive about their current situations. However (and it’s an important however), 41 percent of business owners said they were optimistic about the future. That’s a 400% increase from the second quarter. And that optimism for the future happened despite feeling less positive about the present.

The takeaway here may be that you don’t have to force positivity on your present situation in order to be optimistic about where your business is headed.

However, making small changes could help with positive thinking right now. For example, many business owners focus on potential problems, which makes sense: Your job is to look out for roadblocks so you can steer your company past them. The downside of that can be that business owners don’t focus enough on the wins they have along the way. By celebrating small victories, you may be able to foster more positive energy right now.

Action tip: Keep a running list of all the positives in your business. Pay extra attention to wins on your team and dole out praise to employees, many of whom may need extra recognition to stay positive.

With all of the challenges facing business owners, staying positive may not be high on your to-do list. But doing so can make a big difference in how you navigate through challenges today and rebuild your business for the future.

Sources: SBDC National Information Clearinghouse, JAMA Network Open, Society for Human Resource Management, Chicago Tribune, Gallup, The Balance Small Business

Even the savviest business owners, in a booming economy, need advice. And during an unprecedented crisis like COVID-19, good guidance can be priceless. So how can you find the right insights for your business and the right person to give them? Consider this game plan.

Determine your pain points

The first step is to think past, “I need help fixing my business” and instead consider the specific challenges you face. Sit down and write out specific things you need help with. If you’re struggling to define your challenges, try researching the issues online or talking to your inner circle — the people you regularly go to for informal help. They can help you gather your thoughts and pinpoint specific questions to seek advice on.

Here are some suggestions to help you formulate questions:

• Be specific, but not too specific. If you start with an extra-specific request (“How can I estimate the cost of reconfiguring my workshop for social distancing?”), you may miss out on ideas. If you’re too vague (“How much is COVID-19 going to cost me?”), people may not know how to answer. Be specific, but not limiting (“Can you help me figure out how to affordably reconfigure my shop for social distancing?”).
• Summarize your request. Determine whether your question is unique to your industry or more general. Is it related to crisis management? Specific to COVID-19? Categorizing your question can help you find the right advice.
• Prioritize. If you have multiple questions, try to prioritize them. You might focus on the most expensive challenge first or the most time-sensitive one.

Find an advisor/mentor

Talking to your inner circle may not provide enough guidance for a crisis like COVID-19. And knowing who to ask for specialized advice can be difficult. Start by looking for other business owners whose guidance you trust, including owners outside of your field.

For example, a dentist could get valuable advice about rescheduling appointments from a chiropractor. You might also get great advice from specialists or executives that aren’t business owners themselves.

Keep in mind that getting advice is one thing but building a more formal mentor–mentee relationship can take time and effort. You want to make sure you’re a good match.

To help you find the right person, consider these tips.

• Network via the SBA and others. The Small Business Administration offers resources to connect with other owners, as well as a mentorship resource, SCORE. Also consider the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO), National LGBT Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC) and the Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA), if applicable.
• Tap a specialist. If you’ve determined your problems are niche, look for an expert in that field. For example, if you’re trying to understand the pros, cons, and terms of different types of financing, you might call your banker.
• Get social. Tap into your existing network, using tools like LinkedIn, to see if anyone you know can share insights. Or ask your connections if they know people who could help. This is where having a summary of your request helps; it can make it easier for your contacts to find the right person.

Action: Do your homework before approaching a new contact. If you want insights on rebuilding, for example, it can help you to know that your contact rebuilt their business after a natural disaster.

Get the most out of the conversation

Sometimes, a mentor’s answers are only as good as the questions. Since you researched their background, use that information to ask follow-ups. If you know your mentor innovated and expanded during the 2008 recession, ask how they identified opportunity and what they did to fund growth. Specific questions can help you get the best responses.

If you want to continue asking this person for advice beyond your initial conversation, start by following through on whatever they shared. If you don’t follow their advice, reach out with an update so they understand your reasons.

What you do is ultimately your decision but following up shows you valued their insight.

Action: Consider becoming a mentor yourself. Think about what you have to offer and make yourself available — it could open you up to new insights and opportunities.

Developing relationships can feel challenging during a crisis but finding someone you trust for advice is worth the effort. Having a guide to help you make decisions can go beyond insights and help provide peace of mind during a difficult time.

Sources: Small Business Administration, Fast Company, Forbes

Even the most prepared small business owners can be caught off guard by a crisis — especially when the crisis in question is a global health emergency sending shockwaves through the economy. With so much uncertainty, many of your employees, as well as your customers, will be looking for strong leadership. To help you lead through this crisis, we sought out advice from experts and customer insights and perspectives from other business owners.

Put people first

With COVID-19, everyone’s health is potentially at risk. It’s an inherently human crisis, so it’s important to lead with humanity. As a business owner, you likely need to lead your employees, but you may also serve as a leader to your customers and in your community.

For example, in New Jersey, Ani Ramen House had to close temporarily due to COVID-19. They used their existing food supply to create meal kits for 1,300 families. Owner Luck Sarabhayavanija told Nation’s Restaurant News: “We decided to make the most of a bad situation.”

Action: To lead initiatives that inspire goodwill in your community, start with what you know and stay true to the spirit of your business.

Communication is key

The first step toward leading — both your employees and your customers — is open communication. In an uncertain situation like COVID-19, transparency can help provide reassurance and position you as a leader.

Experts at management consulting firm McKinsey recommend focusing your message on what people need most from you. For instance, early on your employees may have worried about their jobs. In that case, a facts-based approach may work best: Share what you know, what you don’t know and the basics of your plan.

McKinsey points out that as a crisis unfolds, people may start to feel dejected. When that happens, by sharing positive news, leaders can help people feel secure and motivated. Eventually leaders need to communicate a logistical path forward.

Whatever you decide to say, make sure it gets shared with the right people. You might want to create a communication channel specifically to talk to your employees about developments related to COVID-19. (According to a Harvard Business School survey, 78 percent of business owners have done just that.) This could be as simple as weekly video check-ins with your employees.

Action: You don’t need all the answers in order to communicate. Stay in touch with employees and ask how the evolving situation is affecting them.

Seek out practical information

Of course, communication is easier when you have access to concrete, relevant information. This can be particularly challenging during COVID-19, since there’s so much that’s unknown about the virus.

Seek out sources of information you trust, whether it’s a news organization, government agency or academic institution. A number of corporate consulting firms (McKinsey, Deloitte, and Boston Consulting Group, to name a few) have opened up COVID-19–specific hubs to help guide business owners. Membership-based professional groups like Business Advantage TV or trade organizations offer resources as well.

Pay particular attention to developments that could affect your business: the status of COVID-19 in your area, new rules and regulations and changes in consumer behavior.

Action: As you learn new information, share it with your employees, along with how you plan to act. For instance, if your state issues new rules, explain the details to your employees and include how and when changes will be implemented.

Ultimately, different businesses and situations call for different types of leaders. When in doubt, lead with what’s best for your employees, customers, and the community. You don’t have to sacrifice profit, but empathy can pay off in the long run via loyalty and positive perception.

SOURCES: McKinsey, Harvard Business School