It's been a year since the Covid-19 pandemic upended normal life here in the U.S., and just as long since restrictive measures closed schools, parks, restaurants and retail locations.
Millions of people were furloughed or lost jobs while others rapidly adjusted, pivoting to a work-from-home routine as offices closed. We saw people, our staff and clients included, receive special designation as “essential workers” then watched as the service industry restructured operations and tightened protocols in order to reopen safely when they could.
As we cross this grim milestone, we sent a survey to our clients in the food service industry to hear directly from you about how your business and your workforce have been affected by the pandemic. You shared with us what challenges you’ve faced as employers, what you’ve had to change to stay viable and what lessons you’re taking into the future.
A few of our key findings:
- Technology is here to stay. The arrival of COVID has forced businesses in every industry to adopt several years of automation in just a few months.
- Varied communication is essential. Seventy percent of Americans trust the communications from their employer, according to the Health Action Alliance. You’ve told us how important reliable, fact-based information has been when keeping your managers up-to-speed on changing regulations or encouraging vaccine confidence within your workforce, and you’ve used tools like social media, company newsletters, employee town halls and more to do it.
- Your No. 1 challenge was staffing. Managing exclusions, making sure no one worked sick and bringing employees back to work after illness or quarantine were challenges nearly every business owner we surveyed faced.
- Vaccine tracking is going to be tough. As our clients look ahead, they see this as a top operational challenge they’ll have to face, whether they plan to offer incentives or not.
Click here to read the full report.