UK businesses have had to do a lot of adjusting as the country (and the wider world) embraces a new normal post-lockdown and we continue to fight Covid-19 together.
While some companies have seen aspects of their businesses change for the better due to the Covid-19 pandemic, it’s safe to say we’re certainly not out of the woods yet.
In recent weeks, new rules and restrictions have been enforced to get the Covid-19 transmission rate under control once again.
In light of these changes, a second nationwide lockdown is very much a possibility in the months ahead, which can be a worrying thought for businesses and individuals alike.
With a new survey revealing that one-fifth of companies wouldn’t survive another lockdown, making preparations now would be wise.
We take a closer look at how you can prepare your business for a second lockdown to give your company every chance of survival during this uncertain time.
Learn from lockdown mistakes
Should another nationwide lockdown happen or a local lockdown come into force in your area, it’s important to remember that you are in a much better position than the last lockdown.
Should a shutdown occur you have your previous lockdown experience to learn from. You can subsequently make a response plan that better suits your business, protect your people, and continue to deliver the great products or services you are known for to your customers.
Focus on continuing communication
One thing we all learnt from the last lockdown was just how important good communication is. Communication with employees and customers enabled many businesses to continue operating, which provided lifelines across numerous industry sectors.
Make sure you have all the resources and information you need to keep that line of communication open should a national or local lockdown occur.
Set up a WhatsApp group, make sure everyone knows how to use Zoom or other video conferencing technology, and invest in a company-wide task management tool to ensure staff who will be remote working have the support they need to keep fulfilling their roles.
Prepare to keep customers in the loop too by fine-tuning your website and social media channels for better communication.
Prepare your processes
Developing a Covid-19 response plan is a great way to prepare your processes and people for what’s to come in the event of a local or national lockdown.
Find alternative ways to succeed in your respective sector and include them in your plan, ensuring you have the stock and cooperation with suppliers and partners to see you through a worst-case scenario.
Remote working was a vital part of how many businesses adapted and continued to operate in some capacity during the first lockdown.
Therefore, an important part of your preparations and response plan should be to organise your workforce for a more productive work from home experience. Here HRZone reveals one thing to do now to prepare your remote workforce:
“With more employees working flexibly, companies will need to consider whether they need to purchase additional equipment to enable more staff to work from home more effectively on a longer-term basis.
Now is the time to put orders in, so that staff are properly equipped if restrictions are re-imposed.”
If all or part of your workforce cannot work from home during a local or second national lockdown, making your premises COVID-secure should be made a priority.
Whilst you will have put additional health and safety measures in place to protect staff and customers, doing so under lockdown conditions is a very different story.
Stay informed and keep up to date with government guidelines to ensure you’re better prepared.