Can satellite TV get you out of your labor shortage?

If you operate a retail business of any kind, you know about the labor shortage. I’m certainly not the first one to bring it up. It’s getting harder and harder to find employees who will stay around without paying them so much that you can’t be competitive. It’s probably caused some of your friends’ businesses to shut completely, and that’s not cool.

The disclaimer

Look, this isn’t a political blog. It’s not a place for people to talk about big changes to society. So I won’t. I’ll just point out that there are a lot of people who have a lot of opinions as to why labor is so tight right now. I don’t have any real insight into that, in terms of this article. So, I’m proposing that we all just agree that there is a labor shortage and something needs to be done.

What you probably can’t do

One way to end the labor shortage would be to give everyone a 100% raise. But that’s not going to happen. You wouldn’t stay in business if it did. So it seems to me that you need to get a little creative in helping your employees feel like you’re helping them.

That means trying to find innovative ways to make work more enriching without breaking the bank on your end. And that means little workplace perks, things that keep your employees humming along.

Creating a better environment

Your people spend 8 hours a day at work. If they’re commuting an hour in total, and sleeping 8 hours, that means they’re spending more time in the pursuit of work than in anything else in their days. And don’t think they’re unaware of it. They know. That’s part of what’s on their minds lately.

So, in order to keep them going, you’ll need to give them something that makes that time a little happier. Of course your people are there to work. I get that. But sometimes if you “whistle while you work” then the day just goes by a little faster.

Today’s workers are attached to their phones, but do you want to really deal with that while your people are working? Yes, you need to provide reliable cell service. This is just a courtesy people expect today. If you don’t have a cellular signal booster system, you should get one. But, interacting with your phone is often a hands-on task. If people are scrolling their feeds, they’re not putting their hands on their work PCs, right?

Here’s where satellite TV comes in

Satellite TV gives you options for “passive entertainment.” You can have the TV on a station everyone can agree on, and it just provides a little entertainment that’s there when you look up. You don’t have to do anything in order to get it. Your people can feel a little connected to the world. Often times that’s enough to put a smile on their faces.

When the local team kicks into high gear, satellite TV will help people feel like showing up on game day. If you need your people to work evenings and weekends, a TV is a must-have so they don’t miss the sports they crave.

And, for those who don’t want to watch, they can listen. DIRECTV for Business includes several dozen music channels. There’s sure to be one that will please everyone in the office. This keeps people from tuning out the office and using their earbuds. And, it’s better than radio — there’s no commercials and you actually have the right to listen to it in your office without being a low-key criminal.

Satellite TV is a lot less expensive than you think. If you only plan on using it in the back office, it’s really about the same as you’d pay at home. Even if you plan to use it in the customer-facing areas, it’s a great value. It’s a lot less expensive than beefing up your internet so everyone can stream at their desks.

Have I convinced you?

If you’re ready to jump into the world of satellite TV for your business, you’ll want a partner you can trust. Signal Connect, the commercial arm of Solid Signal, is one of the top satellite dealers in the country. We know how to take care of you and your business. No matter where you are or what kind of business you have, we can help make this process easy. And we’re here for you after the sale, with all the free tech support you need. It all starts with a call to 888-233-7563 during East Coast business hours. Once we’re in business together, you’ll get a rep who can give you 24/7 support, personally.

Are you ready to keep your employees happy without paying more? Try satellite TV!

About the Author

Stuart Sweet
Stuart Sweet is the editor-in-chief of The Solid Signal Blog and a "master plumber" at Signal Group, LLC. He is the author of over 10,000 articles and longform tutorials including many posted here. Reach him by clicking on "Contact the Editor" at the bottom of this page.