Reopening a Business After Covid-19 Shutdowns

Thursday, April 11, 2024 11:07 Posted by Admin

For many nonessential businesses, Covid-19 shutdowns have been a major drawback or even a bankruptcy threat. Naturally, any business owner wants to get back to normal as soon as possible, but reopening your business has to be done strategically. You will want to make the most out of the situation and relaunch your operations successfully.

Planning ahead is crucial in selecting the right time to reopen, assess all the risks realistically, and mitigate them without wasting resources or demotivating your employees.

Perform a Risk Assessment

Before you open your doors again, it’s important to make a risk assessment and determine what tasks you have to manage from now on. For businesses that directly work with the public, security might be needed to control the number of people who go inside or to check vaccination certificates and compliance with safety regulations.

Promote the Reopening for Your Audience

Your customers might not be aware that you are reopening, as businesses going through shutdowns might or might not survive. Pump up your communications once you have a set date for reopening, and stimulate your customers to revisit you. Show them what measures you are taking to keep everyone safe, and use marketing strategies to promote the event. After a shutdown, any business needs a good start.

Implement Risk Management Methods

After assessing the risks, you need to implement countermeasures that keep them in control. Consider things like Covid exposure, local regulations, the possibility of pandemic peaks to make business more difficult, new shutdowns in the future, tighter regulations, competitors that offer remote services.

For each potential issue, make a risk management plan to prevent it, deal with it or transfer it to a third party.

Consider More Flexible Working Schedules

If your activity makes it possible, and for those workers who are able to do their job remotely, be flexible and offer this choice. Even when working in direct retail or services, consider allowing at least the auxiliary staff to work remotely, implement shifts and hire extra people to prevent shortages in case of a covid breakdown at work.

One of the things the pandemic has taught us is that employers can offer more flexible work arrangements, and a lot of people need to have this choice and will look for businesses that offer remote work. Also, keep in mind that your customers will also be working remotely more often than before, so adapt your products and services to this new Covid reality.

Train Employees On New Protocols

To keep your customers safe and show them that your business takes their well-being and health seriously, train all your employees on Covid safety regulations, provide them with PPE, offer your customer PPE in case they are not fully equipped, regularly clean your premises and provide disinfectants to everyone’s discretion. Be thorough when implementing health safety protocols and be especially attentive to the details. When a customer sees that disinfectant is regularly missing and not replaced, or that employees are not wearing masks properly, the level of trust in the business will be lower.

Update Your Healthcare Insurance Plan

Once you are ready to get back on track and resume your operations, consider upgrading your health insurance group plan as well. This decision is part of risk mitigation, and it will influence the motivation of your employees, the possibility of hiring new people, and the general safety of your staff.

Consider getting a group insurance plan that covers vaccinations, testing, and treatment for Covid-19, as well as benefits related to more general conditions. Depending on your needs, your insurance plan should keep your employees feeling secure and taken care of.

For thoroughly negotiated group plans that put you and your team first, get in touch with our insurance experts at Taylor Benefits. We are insurance brokers specialized in large group health insurance plans and employee benefits who works with countless small and big businesses all across the US.