Business, as usual, might not be the same after the pandemic. Every business owner must devise a means of reaching out to their vendors, satisfy their customers, and ensure the safety of their employees. As you plan to reopen your business, the following guidelines would come in handy to help your business.
- Establish a set of “no personal contact rules”: Put a limitation on any physical contact such as hugging, handshaking, closed meeting spaces, and any other contact which can affect your business.
- Restrict the sharing of items when possible: Not every business can implement a zero-tolerance policy on business work tools. However, those items which are assigned to individual workers are not to be shared. Examples are pens, staplers, notebooks, dry erase markers, desk space, file folders, computers, etc.
- Restructure your floor plan: Workplaces should be structured in such a way that social distancing can be maintained in order for your business to go on smoothly.
- Minimize socializing: Get rid of common gathering areas and any workspace that would promote physical contact between your staff and your customers.
- Take safety measures: The safety of both your staff and customers is very important, putting this into consideration, take safety precautions. Ensure that hand sanitizers are available in your business or office space.
- Break the 9-5: Ensure you adjust working hours to accommodate business needs and safety requirements.
What’s possible for your business?
A lot of businesses might find it challenging to pick up where they left off when they reopen their doors. Judging from your available resources and potential funding sources through coronavirus aid programs, assess the feasibility for your business in the following areas:
- Your budget. How much capital can you access, and how can you utilize those funds?
- Your location. Can your office space or business environment encourage your social distancing?
- Your supply chain. What kind of relationship exists between you and your supply chain vendor right now? Would you like to look for any new vendors to help you meet short-term business needs as you reopen?
- Your products/services. How can you position your business to be relevant to your customers’ needs right now?
- Your revenue impact. What negative impact has the pandemic had on your business and how much does your business need to recover from those losses?