The global spread of the coronavirus had a vast impact not just on people’s health, but also on communities and the global economy. One of the biggest contributors to the economy of different nations are businesses worldwide, but with the pandemic going on, all businesses, whether big or small, were forced to close temporarily or even permanently. People lost their jobs, as everyone had to stay at home to minimize the spread of the virus.
To diminish economic downturns, organizations around the world have gathered in coordination with the World Health Organization to think of ways in which they could once again lead businesses around the globe amid this crisis. This would not only help in starting up existing businesses, but it will also open opportunities to millions of people who lost their jobs.
Things are more complicated now as we are obliged to follow the “new normal” due to the pandemic. As the rate of active COVID-19 cases are slowly depreciating, early signs of recovery are appearing. And so, some states and businesses are slowly starting to reopen as well. So, how can businesses enhance their fight against COVID-19?
Be Up-To-Date With The Protocols Of The New Normal
As a business owner, it’s your responsibility to not just protect your market from the coronavirus, but also your employees and staff. Fighting against COVID-19 can be hard but doable if people cooperate and strictly follow the new health protocols. When reopening your business, make sure to follow these protective practices:
- Social distancing. Whatever type of business you have, it’s best to follow the proper social distancing protocol of at least 1-2 meters in all areas of the company and between your customers to prevent being infected by the virus.
- Hygiene has to be one of your priorities, so practice regular handwashing and sanitizing, especially if your business involves physically handling money. As much as possible, sanitize the products or money that you receive from clients to avoid getting sick with the virus or any other germs.
- It must be mandatory to have all the employees assessed before entering the company or building’s premises. It’s best to set up a temperature screening kiosk, which can help businesses monitor the staff’s temperature and prevent anyone from entering once their temperature is higher than normal. You can set up an alarm to help you notify that a certain person might be having one of the symptoms of the virus. This also keeps a record for each person in case contact tracing is needed. If any of your employees display a high temperature, it’s best to have them first isolated in their own homes.
- Wearing of face masks or face shields is also needed to protect each other in case one of you is asymptomatic.
Modify The Work Place
Aside from keeping your employees and clients safe from each other during their work hours, it’s also best to modify your work area in a way that would fit the new normal as well. If possible, you may put up transparent glass borders on each of your counters or tables as an additional precaution. It can also serve as a reminder for people to practice social distancing. You may also place it on your eating areas or office tables as a barrier for people to prevent them from getting too close to each other. Through this, everyone in the company can still communicate while being at a safe distance.
Work Communication And Engagement
Since people are trying to minimize physical contact with each other due to the pandemic, this is a perfect time to leverage social media channels. Fully utilize social media accounts like emails as a way of communicating with your staff and clients. Another popular technique that most businesses do now is conducting meetings through video conferences, which can help boost employee engagement.
Self-Awareness And Strategy
The most important tool to enhance businesses’ fight against COVID-19 is through their people’s self-awareness. The more your company is knowledgeable about this pandemic, the more cautious they will be for their individual safety, the safety of their families, and the safety of the clients they interact with every day. As a business owner, you can also create a strategic plan with your team to ensure that health protocols are strictly followed. You may also nominate a response team for each department, or assign clear responsibilities to staff whenever worst-case scenarios will arise during your work hours, and so that each and every one of your team will share the best practices in protecting themselves against the coronavirus.
Conclusion
Business owners must understand that keeping up a business in this time of the pandemic will require different methods of planning, strategies, and techniques. You must understand that business operations will be affected as well. But let’s not forget that what we need to prioritize right now is our own health and everybody’s safety—and the hope that everything, including the global economy, can recover from this invisible war.