Challenges Encountered by the Selected Family Business Owners That Are Short-Staffed in San Isidro, Nueva Ecija

Abstract

Many family business owners in San Isidro, Nueva Ecija, experienced a significant staff shortage. Limited human resources harmed many elements of business operations, including customer service, order fulfillment, and general productivity. Understanding the specific problems these short-staffed family business owners encountered was critical for devising successful methods to address and overcome these challenges. This study aimed to investigate and identify the challenges encountered by chosen family business owners in San Isidro, Nueva Ecija, who dealt with staff shortages, as well as their strategies to overcome them. The researchers employed a phenomenological design to determine the experiences of the ten family business owners of Poblacion, San Isidro, and Nueva Ecija regarding their challenges and coping strategies. A purposive sampling technique was utilized to select the respondents for this study.

Additionally, semi-structured interviews and audio recordings were employed to gather data from the respondents. This study investigated the issues that short-staffed family business owners experienced and the techniques they used to deal with personnel shortages. In managing operations, the problems encountered by the respondents were: (1) lack of human resources and reliable support, (2) struggles in balancing tasks, (3) increased individual workload, and (4) inability to handle customer demand effectively. The study emphasized the need for coping mechanisms, which the respondents utilized. The study examined how personnel shortages affected customer service, order fulfillment efficiency, and sales and marketing success. This study examined the problems that short-staffed family businesses faced and their strategies to deal with them. Most respondents encountered issues such as a lack of resources, challenges balancing tasks, and an increased workload. The study emphasized coping mechanisms, support systems, time management, planning strategies, self-management and accountability in teamwork, customer service, money management, workload, and sacrifices. Furthermore, the study revealed how staff shortages affected their business operations, specifically customer service, order fulfillment, and sales.