“It feels like it did after the Great Depression,” my mother quietly mutters as she stares at the TV.
In her 93 years she’s seen a thing or two and like most of us, she is left processing what seemed almost unimaginable. Travel has come to a halt, entire economies have stumbled, and local businesses and schools have been forced to close their doors. The coronavirus (Covid-19) in one way or another has impacted us all and left us wondering when will things get back to normal?
And as I take it all in and dissect the past couple of months, I begin to realize life simply won’t be the same as it once was. I won’t be the same. Yes, of course, life will go on and l look forward to a bright future, but this pandemic has altered the way I do things. Good and bad, this lockdown has opened my eyes.
They’ve been out of work for a while and they’re eagerly ready to get back to work, right? Well, we hope. And if they are ready to get back to work, are they really ready to get back to work? As you may already know, with a lot of time off and away from the normal company culture, employees can sometimes become a little sluggish.
If your staff has been off during the Covid-19 crisis, it’s important to reestablish that team comradery along with reintroducing company policy and any new post Covid-19 policies. Start things off slow and as everyone gets comfortable begin establishing new company goals and getting your team motivated. Let them know you’re all in this together, and although it may be a tough road ahead, the future of your business and their career is bright.
Last and definitely not least, plan for the future. Take a good hard look at your business as a whole and evaluate any problems the shutdown may have caused or opportunities it may have created. From there, put together a well diversified plan to ensure you and your business have a sense of security as you move forward. Below are some simple questions to help you better prepare for the future.
-How will you manage if you have to temporarily close in the future?
-How long will this management plan be sustainable?
-How would your business manage if you had to step away for a period of time?
-If any of your suppliers (or outside businesses you rely on) were to close, how would you move forward?
-Is there any technology you’re not currently using that could help you manage your business?
-Is there any technology you could use to help grow your business and sales?
Whatever the plan you put together may be, use this pandemic as a way to get stronger. Make sure that you don’t just survive post Covid-19, but you thrive.