What are some strategies that businesses can take to deal with being short-staffed? originally appeared on Quora, the place to gain and share knowledge, empowering people to learn from others and better understand the world.

Today’s businesses, both large and small, are dealing with many issues related to being short-staffed. These complexities include overworked employees, low morale, poor customer service, and the inability to get everything done. Here are a few strategies for improving this nagging situation:

* Streamline. Determine which tasks are essential and which are not. Reallocate staff around the most critical areas, temporarily cutting those tasks that are less important until higher staffing levels can be achieved.

* Offer unique incentives. Attract and retain talent by providing enticing perks that employees wouldn’t get anywhere else. Why not pay for their Netflix subscriptions, offer childcare stipends, send them free meal delivery, or offer reimbursements for their home office furniture? Get creative with your give and you’ll draw more applicants in.

* Recruit younger talent and interns. Why not target high school students and college interns to pick up some of the slack? These young people are often looking for part-time work as well as opportunities to gain experience and a little extra money. Making them part of your recovery plan will certainly fill in some of the gaps.

* Create a customer service strategy. When the number of employees decreases, so will the level of customer service. To minimize the impact, create a plan to ensure that the customer experience remains as pleasant as possible for your patrons. Find ways to entertain customers who are waiting in long lines or being placed on hold for an extended period of time. You can also offer discounts and perks for slow or unsatisfactory service. At the very least, train your staff regarding how to communicate with and treat inconvenienced customers.

* Show appreciation. Employees who are working under these lean conditions will experience a greater degree of stress and also have to deal with more annoyed and impatient customers. They’ll be working longer and harder, too. As such, ensure that you show team members your appreciation (both verbally and with extra perks) and acknowledge the strain they’re experiencing.

* Hire part-time or remote employees. Perhaps there is a way to fill open positions with two part-time workers who can share one job. Job-sharing has a lot of benefits for both employers and employees. And, there are probably many tasks that can be delegated to remote workers who are willing to pick up a side gig to make a little extra money from home. Job-sharing and getting creative with allocating tasks can ensure your business continuity under these challenging conditions.

This question originally appeared on Quora.

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