Top 5 considerations when reopening your workplace

So this morning I was on BBC Radio Solent talking about if the workplace is going to change because of the pandemic and what SME’s need to think about before going back to the workplace – if they go back to the workplace.

1. What happens if there is an outbreak in the workplace?

Talking to Small Business Owners on a daily basis – this has come up in conversation on more than one occasion.  How can you ensure that you are looking after the wellbeing of your team and not causing any more anxiety?  How it could affect the reputation of the Company if it got out?  Making sure you deal with it effectively is key to ensure your reputation is kept positive. 

If you had to close your business due to the outbreak- where would that leave you?

If an outbreak is not dealt with effectively then you could be back to square one or even work.

The bottom line – it will impact your profit – but not in a good way.

2. Are you in the Red or the Black?

For lots of small businesses, this pandemic has dried up their savings.  Although there has been a lot of government support it has not been available to all.  Your office is quite a large cost to your business so it could be something that would ease the stress of wondering how you are going to pay the bills at the end of the month.

You would need to ensure all staff if working from home are doing so safely and look at a proper Working From Home Policy, and provide an alternative to those that Working from Home is not conducive.

The bottom line – your business could be at risk of closure which is not what you want

3. Staff Wellbeing

The past 12 months have been stressful and with cortisol levels reported to have risen, many employees and employers are heading towards burnout. It is so important to continue to take care of our mental health and wellbeing.

Make sure you have the right support available to your team to ensure you are giving them the support that they need when they need it.

You might think it is okay unemployment is high you can replace them – but don’t forget the cost of replacing an employee is on average double their salary for the first year – could your business afford this?

The bottom line – your business can’t operate without good staff – and without good staff – that will affect your profit!

4. Staffing levels?

Have you forecasted for the next 12 months?  Do you have the right people in the right place at the right time?  Can you afford to have them all in?

For some businesses, some tough decisions are going to have to be made for the greater good.

Furlough has been a complete lifeline but I cannot see it extending past September – and what happens then?  If you need to restructure and reduce the team isn’t it better to do it now and give them time to find something else – rather than wait when every other business will be doing it who have failed to plan?

The bottom line – if you have the inability to balance income and outgoings – you are going to be in trouble!

5. Efficiencies

Before you even look at redundancies you need to be thinking about your suppliers.  Reviewing your cash flow and making sure you are spending your money on important things.

This is not the time to stretch your team to the limit either as they are your biggest cost as this, in the long run, will cause even more challenges such as long term sick, demotivated and unproductive staff and high staff turnover (See point 3 & 4)

If you are reducing or eliminating the workplace then you will need to do some process mapping to make sure they are still for purpose.

The bottom line – lack of decision making means poor customer service which leads to less buiness.

How can we help?

We have designed a great online course to help you guide you are your business through these changes to make sure you are making the right decisions at the right time.

First, you need to complete a high-level view of where you are and from that create an action plan – it’s okay we have a great checklist that will guide you through this process.

From that you will then have access to a whole host of support such as Template letters, policies, Risk Assessments, Guidance Notes and lots more.