As states lift restrictions amid the COVID-19 pandemic, business owners are stymied about how to plan their reopening process. You’ll have to be savvy and have a solid plan in mind in order to reopen successfully. Here are some tips on preparing your business to reopen in a world with COVID-19.
Think About Alternative Services You Could Offer
If anything, the COVID-19 pandemic has changed what consumers do and how they do it. If you previously taught art or yoga classes in person, you may need to do more with online teaching or one-on-one teaching. Consider if you could offer more of what customers want now, including handmade face coverings with cool patterns.
Shift Your Focus to Consider Current Customer Sentiment
Customers are still wary of doing certain activities. For example, many people are not confident about eating in a restaurant where tables are close together. Consider the current customer sentiment, and determine if you could shift your focus in order to meet your customers’ needs.
Determine If You Should Grow Certain Parts of Your Business
During the COVID-19 pandemic, you may have discovered that certain parts of your business were in high demand. You may want to take some time and evaluate if these products or services will continue to be in demand. For example, you may have offered more to-go options at your restaurant. You might want to focus more of your effort on building up this part of your business plan.
Implement Flexible Options for Employees
If your business activities are congruent with having employees work from home, you’re highly encouraged to do so. Your utility bills could be lower, your liability insurance could decrease and your employees will be happier and healthier. Over the past few months, employees have demonstrated that they can do their jobs just as well when working from home as they do from the office. When people work from home, there are fewer distractions from water cooler chitchat. Meetings are more to the point when conducted over a video feed. If you do need your employees in the office, consider allowing them to work at home part of the time. Another option is to stagger working hours so that fewer people are in the office at the same time. Staggered hours also reduce interactions when entering or leaving the building.
Focus on Workplace Cleanliness and Hygiene
Many communities and states have issued regulations about workplace cleanliness and hygiene. These are in addition to the OSHA guidelines you always have to follow. The purposes of these guidelines are to prevent customer injury and property damage at your business and to keep your employees safe. In most communities, social distancing guidelines are in effect. This means your entrances, exits and customer service or checkout lines need to provide six feet of space between customers. Many businesses have chosen to install plexiglass around checkout stations. Some have set up one-way traffic routes through their establishments. You may also consider a hygiene station with hand sanitizer, a temperature-checking area and a place where employees can pick up a clean face mask and gloves.
Founder Dinis Guarda
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