Freedom Day has come and gone with a whimper, and most of the laws surrounding Covid have relaxed. If you haven’t yet reopened your business, however, then there’s no reason to do so recklessly: by putting in place a firm plan, you’ll be able to get back to it, and give your staff the certainty they need to contribute.
Creating a Plan
If you composed a business plan before you started your business in the first place, it’s worth revisiting that process, making sure that you’ve put procedures in place to reasonably deal with problems, and, if necessary, to relaunch your business in steady increments. Once you’ve got your milestones laid out in advance, you’ll be in a better position to measure your progress further down the line.
Getting the Technology in Place
You may have had to make a few technical changes to your working practices in order to cope with extended periods of lockdown. If you’re going to be retaining a few of the benefits of working from home, perhaps by making a transition to a ‘Hybrid’ setup, then you’ll need to make sure that you have the technology to make such a synthesis of office and homework. As for your business expenses, another way technology can help you is by using expense tracking software to help you track and monitor your spending.
In some cases, the technology might play a direct role in limiting the spread of the virus. This might mean hand sanitizer, personal protective equipment, and ventilation. Sometimes, this equipment will need to be checked and maintained. Making sure the air conditioning is working properly can often mean replacing the terminal blocks – a modest expense that will yield substantial benefits.
Getting the HR right
Your staff will have gone through a lot of psychological turmoil over the past year, and some may have coped with it better than others. You shouldn’t assume that your workers are mentally fragile, as that can end up a self-fulfilling prophecy. But you should make reasonable concessions, especially to workers with medical vulnerabilities to coronavirus. If workers want to continue to work from home, and there’s scope to allow them to do so, then you should grant them the necessary leeway.
Reviewing Your Workspace
You should perform a risk assessment when it comes to coronavirus, ensuring that you’ve identified and taken action to mitigate any potential dangers. It might be that there are simple things you can do around the workplace to deal with the danger. This might mean making facemasks mandatory in corridors and the like. At the same time, you should also identify measures that you’re taking which don’t make any appreciable difference to transmission.
Mindset Changes
Attitudes towards work and to life have changed drastically over the past year, as people have had more time to reflect on the priorities, and the direction their lives have taken. You might find yourself blindsided by resignations, particularly if you haven’t kept your ear to the ground. Get an idea of what your workforce is thinking by creating an environment where everyone feels at liberty to offer suggestions for how things could be improved.
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