How COVID-19 Is Changing Business as We Know It

How COVID-19 Is Changing Business as We Know It

2020 has tested, stretched, and strained every aspect of what it means to be a small business owner. From furloughing employees for the first time ever to applying for unemployment, it’s been a scary time of unknowns for almost all of us. The good news is that we’re not in it alone. We are all navigating uncharted waters as a large and collective group of entrepreneurs and professionals.

And, like every difficult new experience, we have an opportunity to bounce back in ways that transform — and possibly strengthen — the business community.

Adapting Staff Schedules

Unfortunately, a lot of small business owners will not be able to rehire all of the staff that they have furloughed. Which means they’ll have smaller skeleton crews helping to conduct day-to-day business operations. Some employees may be returning to work but on a part-time basis. With fewer people actually working in-house, your business can more easily accommodate social distancing standards while also reducing some overhead expenses.

For example, you might have two different team members who are responsible for entirely different job duties. To minimize social interactions, you can consider alternating their schedules, and having one work mornings and the other afternoons, or having them work on different days of the week.

Normalizing Remote Work

If there’s one thing that COVID-19 has taught us, it’s that working from home is possible in more situations than previously realized. No, it isn’t always the easiest, especially if you have young kids at home. But a lot of people can actually get more work done from their remote offices than they would have in their traditional workplaces. For bosses who were hesitant to have their staff work at home for fear of being distracted, a pandemic has pretty much neutralized that concern.

Having some of your staff work from home and/or alternate coming into the office with your skeleton crew is a smart way to not only adapt to your employees’ needs, but also maintain social distancing while still being open for business.

Making Your Services Accessible 24/7

As surprising as it sounds, there are still businesses that don’t conduct sales or provide customer interactions online. Either their webpages are outdated, or they’re not monitoring social media, or both. But there are many customers who do not want to interact in public yet and are relying on online interactions. If you don’t make yourself accessible to these customers, they’ll take their business to someone who does. There’s never been a better time than the present to take your business online and broaden your general audience.

Constant Adaptations to Business

Being “in the know” has never been so important. As government officials are constantly  changing business regulations based on the COVID-19 curve, staying in touch with the current rules in your locality is crucial to understanding what you are — or aren’t — allowed to do as a business owner. Now is a great time to enhance your network and join a professional organization that represents your line of work, or your local chamber of commerce.

Remember, we’re all in this together!