The COVID-19 (coronavirus)
pandemic has created uncertain times for just about everyone, including
business owners. People are getting a lot of information from a lot of
different places, but ‘social
distancing’ is one recommendation that just about everybody seems
to agree on to help slow the spread of the virus.
The goal is to slow the spread of the disease, “flattening the curve” to
give healthcare organizations a better chance of providing care to all the
people who need it.
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and business owners during trying times such as these and many others.
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Whether you’re a small services
business like an accounting or consulting firm, a high-traffic business like a financial
institution or an entrepreneur of an independent business, here are 5 important
actions that you can consider to help keep you, your customers, and the community
at large safer while practicing ‘social
distancing’ in your business.
First, arm your customers and
employees with more information. The CDC offers a number of
printable factsheets you can
display at your place of business, informing people about the need for social
distancing and how diseases like COVID-19 are transmitted.
Second, Physical contact is the
fastest and most common way for viruses to spread. Do what you can to limit
physical contact between people at your location. Do not shake hands. Do not
hug. Find another way to greet people that involves no direct contact – do the cross-arm
bump or greet with a Big smile! Everyone understands.
Third, Replace in-person meets to meetings
virtually. In most cases, it’s not too
difficult to replace a simple meeting with a video conference or a conference
call. Pick a platform that will suit your meeting needs. If it’s a small
committee meeting, Google Hangouts will fit the bill. If you need to
host a webinar or large meeting, try Microsoft Teams Live Events or Zoom
meetings.
Fourth, allow remote work and
transition to a remote work setup, if possible. If
any of your employees can do their jobs from home, let them work from home.
The need for many businesses to operate as dispersed teams also presents an
opportunity to go paperless. You don’t have to go into the office for a form or
report if you can access it remotely.
Fifth, enable
flexible scheduling. For employees who must be physically present, consider
staggering your work schedules. This way, you can have a smaller number of
employees present at your location at any given time.
