🚀 As 2021 moves on, vaccines are being widely distributed and lockdowns are loosening up. But another global, or even local, disaster could impact your business at any moment. So how do you future-proof your business to ensure you’re ready for whatever comes next?
What preparedness looks like for your business may differ from others, but there are some basic steps you can take to get ready just in case. Taking what we learned from the first shutdown experience, getting certain things ready for your business and employees can hopefully be a little less stressful the next time around. We’ll take a look at some basic steps you can take to prepare for another shutdown.
Revisit your remote work capabilities.
For some businesses, remote work was already an everyday occurrence before the initial shutdown in early 2020. But for most businesses, that shift to remote work was fast and possibly unexpected.
Review the following remote work capabilities and experiences to future-proof your business:
- What kind of support will your employees need?
- What amount of work can be done remotely?
- Are there any specific elements of remote work that you might want to reimagine that didn’t work as well initially?
Create an emergency communication plan.
This is pretty straightforward! Whether your business will be moving to remote work or you might be operating with limited people on-site, having an emergency communication plan is critical for any business.
This communication plan should allow you to be able to contact any suppliers, employees, and customers in case of an emergency. And be sure to have a process in place that will allow you to track any specifics related to your business that you may need to.
Communicate with your employees and customers.
Outside of the initial emergency event, communicating regularly with your employees and customers is important. Remember, they’re just as anxious, if not more so, than you are. You’ll want to keep employees aware of any changes that may be coming as soon as you’re able to, share information that might be prudent for them to know, and just check in to let them know you care about their well-being.
Communicating with your customers through announcements on your website, email list, or social media can also be key. You’ll be able to let your customers know any adjustments you make to the operation of your business as you go. This could include the ability to produce or deliver products, availability of personnel, or whether your hours or services change.
This step helps you future-proof your business by continuing to instill confidence that you’ll be around once the crisis is over. Things may get rough for a while, but it’s going to be ok.
For more information on emergency preparedness and communication plans, the CDC has pulled together a short list.
Emergency Preparedness Challenge
Look over changes you made to your business in response to COVID-19 and make a list of things that worked well and things you need to improve.
Communicate Effectively Online!
Escape Plan creates social media content that reaches your customers in a meaningful manner. Let’s have coffee and discuss your content for another possible shutdown.
