It may be a fact of life for your business. To keep your doors open, you may have had to furlough or even lay off some employees. No one likes to do that. Even when you jettison marginal performers, no one enjoys the process, least of all the business owner.

If it DOES happen to you, are you aware that the layoff isn’t the end of the process? What about those employees who are still with you? Oh, they’re lucky to have a job, you might say. But they are scared no matter what you say or do – and who can blame them?

To protect your business, you need to take several more affirmative steps. Most won’t cost you any money, but they do require effort and caring.

First, when was the last time you thanked your employees? Just a simple “thank you for a good job” the next time someone does a good job will work WONDERS. Give it a try – I dare ya! For one solid week, say 5 thank yous a day to 5 different individuals on your staff. Then let us know what happens!

How about other ways of saying thank you? Maybe it’s a new coffee pot in the employee lounge. Not a big investment but a way of expressing your gratitude for how hard people work.

Any of your team doing more work as a result of those layoffs? Maybe you can’t reward them with a raise just now (and future promises are never a good idea), but you can reward them in other ways. Home-baked cookies in the lunch room, or a visit to the office by a chair massage therapist for free 10 minute massages, or even all going out for drinks after work once in a while can not only say “thank you” but tell employees you recognize they are putting in extra effort.

What works in your office?

Effective Communication for Managing Virtual Office Employees – Entrepreneur.com

If you are thinking about letting some of your team work from home, or adding some staff that will work remotely, this article in Entrepreneur.com may shed some light on your decision.

The author, David Javitch, presents a nice overview that rings true to me. I managed a team of 19 in NYC from Atlanta for over 3 years and learned many of these lessons the hard way!

Some questions to ask yourself might include:

• How are you with technology? (You don’t have to be a chip-head, but it will make a difference if you’re comfortable with instant messaging, web conferencing programs, and other newer communication tools.)
• What is the nature of your work? Your team’s work? (How available do you need to be to your staff? Do they work independently or is their work more team-dependent?)
• Are you a superior communicator? (Especially if you’re not onsite with your staff, it’s critical that YOU take initiative to keep them in the loop, and they need to be receptive.)

Millennials are having more fun with virtuality than the rest of us. Are YOU ready? Let us hear from you!

Some business owners think that the only people who need Sales Training are their salespeople. Think again! Who does business development? YOU do! Are you tired of trying to reach decision-makers by phone? Did you know there are some simple tips to get people to return your voice mail messages? And open your emails?

Someone who has written the book – literally and figuratively – is Renee Walkup, Owner and Founder of SalesPeak. (Did you catch that? SalesPeak and SaleSpeak.) We strongly recommend her best-selling book based on her American Marketing Association course: . She also has a brand new book coming soon, “The Naked Salesperson: A Stripped Down Approach to Selling with Confidence“. These are eminently practical guides that help you see results immediately.