The speed of change: small business trends show SMEs in fast-forward – Salesforce UK Blog

Small business trends reveal a post-pandemic landscape that’s being reimagined in fascinating ways. This isn’t surprising, considering many industries had to shift to new business models in the face of lockdown measures.

What is eye opening is the speed of that change. Nearly overnight, many SMEs had to reach their customers in new places, find ways to empower decentralised workforces, and keep up with constantly changing regulations and safety concerns. On top of that, the customer suddenly had a whole new set of expectations for safe and seamless interactions.

It was a lot to adjust to, but UK SMEs were up to the task. In fact, small business trends show that many of the stop-gap measures instituted by SMEs will have long-term payoffs. Let’s take a deep dive into the fifth edition of Salesforce’s Small and Medium Business Trends Report, which gathers insights from over 2,500 SME leaders, to see how setbacks are being turned into gains, and why the future looks to be a faster, smarter place.

Small business trends point towards a future of flexible work

One of the most significant small business trends highlighted in the report is the shift to remote and flexible work. Shutting down offices and moving away from face-to-face interactions presented some complications at the beginning of the pandemic, but the payoffs of the shift are increasingly evident. After all, offices – and office hours – involve boundaries and limits. But the work-from-anywhere potential of remote employees means that those boundaries have vanished. 

How this shift away from the office will affect worker wellbeing remains to be seen. It’s also not clear whether recent productivity gains spurred on by flexible working will be long lasting. But the potential benefits of a more flexible workforce are certainly intriguing. 

The Small and Medium Business Trends Report reveals:

• 50% of growing SMEs offered flexible working arrangements during the pandemic.

• The top employee expectation is now flexible scheduling.

• 27% of SME leaders have focused on connecting employees’ passions to their work, which is helpful when keeping decentralised employees engaged and motivated.

Flexible working not only enables SMEs to be more agile and employee-centric; it can help them recruit and build trust with the workforce.