The world is limping toward a new normal even as it fears the devastation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Loss of lives, mental turmoil, and social difficulties, unleashed by the pandemic are some of the worst consequences that the world has witnessed.
Another major blow has been to economies and businesses that boost such economies across the world. From small businesses to mid and large-scale types, every business is experiencing the adverse impact of the pandemic.
From supply chain disruptions and overnight regulatory changes to the market downturn and drastic changes in consumer behavior, businesses are witnessing unpredictability as never before.
But it is crucial for businesses to recover from the pandemic shock and move forward.
Realistic strategies that enable businesses to adapt to post-pandemic changes are the need of the hour. Fighting the pandemic collectively is the first step toward post-pandemic business success. Strategic partnerships can help make a positive difference.
Here are other practical strategies that can help any business in pandemic rise above the COVID-19 challenge and redefine success:
1. Evaluate your market position
Evaluating your business’s market position is essential to predict its chances of post-pandemic success. Many businesses have already shut their shop as they are unsure of their post-pandemic market demand.
Some businesses, on the contrary, are witnessing extraordinary success due to the pandemic. Internet service providers, web-based service providers, and home office equipment manufacturers and suppliers are some such examples of success.
Other businesses that are tasting success include remote collaboration technology providers and home delivery service providers.
Your business’s ability to cater to the new pandemic normal will determine your level of resilience. Evaluating your products, services, and market demand are basic to reinventing and reestablishing your business.
2. Chart your immediate course of action
If your assessment shows that your business is capable of reinvention, then your next step must be to chart a course of action for the immediate future. Priorities for businesses in pandemic include:
- Returning to pre-pandemic business operations if viable
- Revamping workplace in compliance with pandemic regulations
- Assessing employee readiness to return to the workplace
- Ensuring employee health and safety by raising standards of hygiene in accordance with COVID-19 norms
- Incorporating social distancing within the workplace setting
Many businesses are already in this stage and are successfully adapting to the change. Some businesses have permitted remote working where possible. Organizations where employee presence at the workplace is essential, standards of safety and hygiene have been raised.
Our new pandemic product line New Normal Essentials can be a great asset for any workplace in the current context. The range includes a wide range of products critical to maintaining workplace safety against COVID-19.
Some key products include air purifiers, soap dispensers, contact-free thermal guns, thermal scanners, face shields, digital humidifiers, UV cabinets, auto faucets, and more. New pandemic-based products are added continuously, which means you can keep updating your workplace safety standards.
For businesses facing an organizational shift to a novel direction, equipping their workforce with new essential skills would be a priority. They may have to hire new talent, sometimes with skills that may be completely different from what they were used to before.
3. Assess the projects your business can take on
Evaluation of the projects that your business is currently equipped to take on, is a crucial first step toward scaling up. The right evaluation involves an assessment of the mental state of the employees, team spirit, and the availability of essential resources to complete the projects.
It is important to assess if your workforce can work as a team toward achieving project goals. A crisis of the proportion of COVID-19 can raise the spirit of your workforce. On the contrary, the fear and distrust triggered by the pandemic can pull the team apart. It is only a well-connected team that can achieve results for you.
Fear of the future can push businesses toward signing up on too many projects. It would be prudent to put a limit on projects that require the same resources such as project managers and specific technology developers. Doing so can lead to resource burnout, deadline misfires, and project failures. Such failures can swerve your business from the right path.
4. Practice adjusting to the new normal
Accepting that the normal you knew has undergone a complete transformation is the first step toward adjusting to the new normal. Business processes, hiring methods, onboarding practices, safety guidelines, and working methods that were once typical of business, are not so anymore.
Give employees time to adjust to the new normal and settle into it. It is important to gather employee feedback periodically to understand their challenges.
For example, if you are introducing remote working for the first time for your employees, then find out how they are faring after a specific period. By doing so, you will be able to understand them better, and gain deeper insights into their working methods. You can also identify loopholes in the existing system, and equip employees with the resources they need.
The practice of gathering feedback enables you to build a constructive environment, which leads to increased productivity and greater employee satisfaction.
5. Keep moving forward by addressing key priorities at every stage
Scaling your business is the next move forward. Priorities can keep changing as you move forward.
The priority at the initial stage will be to support your employees as they struggle to adjust to the new culture, skill requirements, processes, and training.
While this stage can be challenging, it can also be a great opportunity to reconnect with your employees at a deeper level. There is also an opportunity to redefine your business culture, vision, and mission.
The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has been profound. With the virus still remaining unleashed, the future remains uncertain. The only way for businesses to sustain amidst the pandemic-driven uncertainty is to keep moving forward using concrete strategies.
Redefining processes where essential, and investing in employee safety and wellbeing, can enable businesses to emerge resilient and successful post the pandemic.
Get in touch with us to know more about how we can help your business succeed.
