As news reports continue to pour in regarding Covid-19, also known as the coronavirus, it’s essential for businesses to consider the long term and short term needs. We need to consider the health and safety of employees while also keeping an operational business.
For businesses looking for guidance during the coronavirus impact consider the following steps to take for the health of your business and employees;
Encourage employees to monitor their health
Employees should be looking for symptoms whether they think they have been exposed or not. With a 14 day incubation time of CORVID-19, it is hard for those around you to know if they are carrying the disease or not. Look at the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) symptoms, publish them throughout your office or store for employees to see and speak about them regularly.
A major consideration if an employee or yourself is displaying symptoms, call your doctor near you and get scheduled for testing. Do not just go into the office or an emergency room.
Social Distancing
By forcing people to limit their direct interactions with many people. the CDC believes that we can limit the number of people contracting the virus. The diagnosis of the CORVID-19 virus was doubling every 4 days.
Setting up the infrastructure for employees to work from home is key. We live in a world where more and more tasks can be done from a home office. Consulting with doctors is also possible via telephone and over video calls. Employees may not be as productive as in the office setting, but keeping the wheels turning over the next couple of weeks is more important and imperative to keeping your cash flowing.
Many phone systems today are Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) meaning that employees can log in and receive phone calls from their homes.
Check with Vendors and Customers
A great exercise is to be in constant dialogue with your customers and vendors. You can learn more about how to better serve them or new trends in the industry. In a situation like we experiencing now, an open dialogue makes good business sense.
Check also if they are operational and open before placing orders or delivering products. At a time where cash flow is going to be tight, double-check before any expense is made.
You may also want to use your social media to alert customers and vendors of your business's status.
Business is a marathon
No matter how scary things may appear, building and growing your business is not an overnight event. There are years of work that go into a business and as a business owner, you need a steady hand as you direct the business. The economy will recover and people will get back to normal day-to-day life. Do not make rash decisions and understand that collectively our communities will survive and thrive.
Use time wisely
With business being slower, it is a great opportunity for you and your team to take stock. In the normal busyness of life, we can fall into a rut of doing business the same way as before. This forced slower time gives you time to refocus and come out swinging in the near future. It is all about our perspective and making the most of this time!