COVID-19 has brought uncertainty to everyone. No one knows when things will get back to normal and many are struggling. It has affected both large and small businesses. Also, it has forced many employees to work remotely. With all of this going on, many are wondering how their business is supposed to keep running. While there is no exact timeline of how long this will continue to go on for, below are 4 tips to help keep your business on track during these times.
Keep your priorities straight
The safety and health of your employees and their families should always come first. Your business is a second priority. You need to be mindful that just like you, they are confused and frightened with all that’s going on. During a time like this, everyone’s physical and mental health is more important than coming into an office and working. Some of your employees might still be taking care of personal issues from this pandemic.
You need to be flexible when trying to go back in your office. By doing so, you can relieve a lot of stress off your employees. This will help them be more focused and productive as they ease back into a normal routine. Also, with how easy remote working has become, you shouldn’t be forcing anyone into the office. Especially if they aren’t comfortable with it.
You need to have strong communication
It seems to be clear that things won’t be back to normal anytime soon. Some have made it back into their offices, but many are still remote. While many have made the adjustment and use softwares to keep their team in contact, you still need to communicate with them. You need to be checking in and making sure that they are all on track and that they are genuinely holding up well. Also, you need to communicate with them because it’s important that they know you have their back and that everyone is in this together.
Establish a risk management plan
You need to map out all of the potential risk that could happen in your business. You can easily measure each risk as low, medium or high. They can be based on the likelihood of it happening and the impact it would have on your company. The risks you have that seem highly likely and are likely to have a higher impact on you should be examined first. Once you have your risks mapped out, you can create strategies to help prevent them from happening or help make sure that you are prepared for anything.
Accept you don’t have all the answers
While these times are scary and rapidly changing, there is comfort in knowing you aren’t the only one who has no answers. To help with this, it’s important to remain curious, test ideas, and continuously learn. You have to learn to adjust to how things are, and if you are panicking about not having all the answers, your employees will notice and also panic.