The pandemic has brought the world some of the most devastating historical moments. It’s something that we’ve never seen in our lifetime. Hospitals were overwhelmed with patients, and prices of products were at an all-time high. The world was at pause, and it was truly a global crisis to remember.
But one of the most harrowing effects of the pandemic was when it shut down many businesses. It was a worldwide roadblock. This has even caused job losses for many Americans in the US, and it was very worrying to see.
The breakthrough cases caused by emerging variants only show how unpredictable this pandemic is. We’ve almost been living in uncertainty for the past two years. No one knows if another variant emerges that can affect the business industry again. Would you be ready for that scenario? You may want to make your business pandemic-proof.
So how do you do that? How can you make your business survive another COVID-19 surge? How will you be able to prevent your business from shutting down in case of another surge? Here are some tips you can follow to ensure your business is safe.
Vaccinate your employees
While you may be in an industry that didn’t survive the COVID surge in 2020, it should be a different story now. People weren’t able to have themselves immunized two years ago. The only way to contain the spread of the virus before was to make people stay inside their homes. This was the reason why businesses shut down. Nobody could go out to visit their favorite coffee shops or buy clothes at their favorite stores. Good thing, vaccines were made against the virus. They are a great way to prevent people from getting sick because of COVID-19. And now, all you have to do is encourage your employees to get the vaccine. That’s necessary, so everyone in the workplace is protected against the virus. This way, you’ll be able to reduce the risk of getting your people infected, which minimizes the potential of halting your operations.
Extend operation hours
Making your operation hours longer can give you additional revenue. You have to make sure that the number of hours you’re extending can make your business earn enough to sustain the extension of business hours. Remember that you’ll also have to compensate the employees who will work for those extensions. This should help your business get more customers if needed. Say your business is located near areas where many employees work at night. Extending your business’s operating hours can give these people a chance to visit your location. Imagine the amount you could earn and use for other purposes like your home loan or rent for your business place. Extending your operation hours may be the answer for getting additional income.
Have delivery options
This is similar to the extension of business hours. It can give you extra income if you can utilize this option. Since the pandemic is unpredictable, we’re not sure if another lockdown would be placed. Delivery has helped a lot of businesses in the pandemic. This has become their lifeline to keep earning enough while everything is shut down. If you haven’t integrated delivery options into your business yet, this could be the perfect time to do so. We’re not sure what this pandemic will bring us in the next couple of years. You might as well get this option available for your customers. This way, they can continue supporting you in case another shutdown happens.
Maintain safety in the business place
You can get your employees vaccinated. You can even get them regularly tested if you’re extra cautious. These should keep your work environment safe. But you also want to make sure that your customers are protected from each other. Since you can’t assume who the safe ones or not, you must follow safety health protocols. Sanitizing stations should be available. Promote handwashing to your customers every chance you get. Restrooms should always be cleaned and disinfected. These simple steps should help you maintain safety in your business place.
Have a backup plan
Nothing’s safer than having a backup plan for everything. If you have a business that you’re not sure will survive another pandemic, you might as well plan to open a new business. But this time, it should be pandemic-proof. Businesses such as food, house cleaning essentials, and e-commerce stores are just a few examples of this. You can venture into those types of businesses. Minimize the risk of dealing with revenue loss from your existing business if another lockdown occurs. Have a secondary business to sustain your living.
With all the uncertainty this pandemic is showing us, you must be prepared for what’s to come. Preparing your business for another lockdown or another pandemic isn’t being pessimistic. As the saying goes, prevention is better than cure. It applies to businesses too.
