COVID-19 March 11, 2020 – You Business Was Not Prepared
Are you satisfied in how resilient your business was?
The Coronavirus hit the US like a brush fire during a dry windy period, resulting in halted businesses, idling the US in a matter of 7 days.
A certain category of businesses were allowed to remain open, but under tight restrictions implemented by state and local officials.
Opened businesses in FL categorized as essential business, with some short lived and not last long. At the same time, debate ensued on the interpretation of the word essential, from industries initially not on the essential listing.
Essential businesses included grocery and drug stores, gas stations, hardware, and take-out only for restaurants, but churches proclaimed they were also very essential.
Some states were more compliant than others.
Depending on a governors position and opinion in the seriousness of the pandemic, the result was relaxed to no rules in some states and very tight restrictions in others.
History will show which governors position proved to be most effective to get their state back to the new normal in commerce and lifestyle.
Essential business large and small.
Businesses allowed to remain open ranged in size from large corporations like Walmart to small independent like The Lure Restaurant in Portsmouth, NH.
What quickly became evident, that no matter the size of a company, the history or strength, no business was adequately prepared for a business disruption.
The old way of conducting business is out, new operational activity and methods to operate are in.
When we look back at the way businesses operated prior to the coronavirus, it’s easy to see reasons the virus entered and spread US communities so quickly.
Other than in medical or most food service, it appears that necessary and basic personal hygiene practices were not being being in place or considered serious enough to address.
Not following basic practices, such hand washing frequency or ill employees allowed to work or sneezing into hands without washing. Germs and pathogens spread, causing illness, death and people being out of work.
For businesses not paying attention in basic health guidelines or didn’t realize it pertained to them, now see the high price paid in revenue loss and foreseen cost to create, train and implement new health and business practice guidelines.
Very basic examples to diversify a business in order to move forward:
- Restaurants Dine-in – build on the carryout segment to represent at least 25% of daily sales and have in place a secondary reduced menu.
- Food distributors – increase on-hand inventory value by at least 20% and actively rotate stock. Avoid JIT as the primary method of operation.
- Business offices – reduce the work space by at least 40% and implement and support work from home. Separating employees and reducing operating cost.
- Big box retailers – build on-line shopping to represent at least 40% of gross sales at competitive prices.
- Independent retailers – increase social media presence for on-line sales to represent at least 30% of daily receipts
Pathogens do not discriminate in the industry enter or class of people.
The media reports on the number of people affected by job and closed businesses of all types. Restaurants, bars, financial institutions, insurance agencies, car washes, newspapers, gyms, car dealers, clothing, dental, schools to demonstrate the diversity of industries affected.
People must be aware that they are the problem in spread of disease.
Human beings are the connecting link for germs and viruses to spread and how well or poorly personal hygiene is practiced, will determine the period and magnitude viruses and illness will ensue.
Business owners have the ability to look inside their operation in a different and more responsible fashion. A good start is to implement new health safety protocols to reduce or prevent disease spread in their businesses.
Awareness links to address germ spread, starts at work and spreads to the home.
I recommend to look at a business as the first link in the “awareness chain” by training employees on required hygiene practices during a workday, in and out of the office.
The employee becomes the second link in the awareness chain, by passing what is practiced in the workplace now at home.
The third link are family members that take what they practice at home and continue safe hygiene measures while in public.
I used to be called a germophobe, now termed responsible.
Recognizing the importance of simple practices like regular hand washing will result in a reduction or elimination of easily passed viruses and germs to others is a great first step, sharing the knowledge is a tremendous second.
So how will safe practices relate to my business needing to diversify?
Employee safe practices can be included in the overall new business and operation strategy. The way a business responsibly operates will determine how sustainable it can be during challenging periods.
Employees calling in sick result in reduced workforce that will effect a company’s bottom line. Diversification and employee safety.
A micro-distillery can also make hand sanitizer while employees are required to wear a face mask, change gloves more often and not allowed to come to work if ill.
A simple formula demonstrating links in the awareness chain.
- Thriving Community = People
- People = Employees
- Employees = Business
- Business = Income
- Income = Spending
- Spending = Thriving Community
- It’s all interconnected
The coronavirus was identified as a threat in Wuhan China in Jan 2020 and t’s hard to consider that by April 2020 people were dying in places like Des Moines Iowa at a Tyson facility about 7,157 miles away.
The consequence of illness and deaths at the plant resulted in closing the facility. So Louisa County, a rural area of 11,000 residents, announced that Tyson workers accounted for 148 of 166 coronavirus cases in the county and likely effecting other businesses and people in the community.
The greatest asset a city and municipality has is the preservation of their community.
Once businesses of all types recognize the importance and apply proper hygiene practices and continue education, then clean will proliferate within its community.
Following new health standards for people of all industries will result in a healthy and thriving economy with more staying power.
Changing to a “new behavior” in business and culture helps everyone in business, personally and a community. Spreading better practices can be as fast and effective as any nasty virus.
Adhering to a new way of thinking about personal habits will result in local and national economic improvement and sustainability.
If relaxed business sanitation practices and personal health habits do not improve, then the ongoing consequences to inevitably effect business and economy will continue.
No one or company is immune from the economic impact and trickle-down effect when people get sick and unable to work.
Contact Darryl to help your business be better prepared for the next pandemic. COVID-19 is not one and done.
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