Big and small businesses alike have taken a huge hit from the COVID-19 pandemic. Thankfully, major cities are slowly starting to pick up their pace again as they slowly open their gates. Unfortunately, this also comes with the necessary question—how do you keep these people safe, especially now when there seems to be no clear end to this country-wide problem?
If you’re a business owner, you’ve probably mastered all the Do’s to cope with the pandemic to a tee. But it’s also necessary, if not even more important, to talk about the Don’ts to make sure you come back to your operations safely. Here, we list all the important points below that can help businesses during the pandemic.
1. Don’t expect your employees to feel safe to go back to work immediately
This is quite obvious, but it deserves to be pointed out repeatedly for emphasis. As a business owner or operator, you need to understand that your people are facing a lot of risks to go back to their source of living. To remedy this, you need to put a solid plan of action first when it comes to protecting your employees from the virus rather than focusing on gaining traction to attract customers again.
For example, don’t call your employees to go back to work without putting a detailed safety procedure in place. According to the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), all frequently touched areas in workplaces should be sanitized every two hours and that sanitizers should always be made available in places like conference rooms, elevators, corridors, and other areas frequented by people. You always see business advertisements focusing on how they protect the safety of their customers but it is best to gain the confidence of your own workers first and foremost before putting that “We’re Open” sign on your door again.
2. Don’t trust that people will follow social distancing all the time
It’s a hard pill to swallow, but you have to accept that there will be people who will not always follow the rules. The term “social distancing” has been thrown around so much that it almost sounds so mundane now but it actually is harder to execute than it actually is. The best course of action is to make sure that you have all the necessary fixtures to drive the point exactly to your customers. Even something as simple as installing social distancing markers can help everyone follow the rules better.
3. Don’t assume that masks will cut it
Having masks is good and necessary, yes, but it wouldn’t hurt if you add an extra layer of protection for both your employees and customers. You may have to rearrange your layout in order to further enforce social distancing, for example, especially if you are in the food industry. Safety fixtures like acrylic sheets are also very helpful as an additional layer of protection. Moreover, it’s also best if you prioritize online payments to further minimize contact inside of your establishment.
If your business regularly accepts building visitors, you need to have a strict protocol to follow as well. A lot of condominiums across the country have totally banned visitation to their residences, for example. Deliveries are also required to be received in building lobbies instead. Even smaller sari-sari stores have put up a limit on the number of people allowed inside their space.
4. Don’t open your business without fixing your operation guidelines
This is true for big and small businesses alike. Especially with sanitation rules being at their strictest at the moment, you have to make big tweaks on your standard operating procedures to make sure that you’re following the protocols. This is a lot of work since you have to find the perfect middle-ground between following safety rules while making sure that you are still operating well. A good example: sanitizing areas eat a lot of time of your maintenance crew since they have to do it every few hours.
Thankfully, there are ways that you can do this by using new normal essentials for your operations. PVC Plastic Rolls are perfect for protecting areas that get constant contact from people because you can easily change them every few hours without scrubbing everything down. Disinfectant sprays that are designed to cover large areas will also save you a lot of time when it comes to keeping everything clean.
5. And finally… Don’t skimp on buying new necessities
Many businesses have suffered greatly from financial losses because of the COVID-19 pandemic so it is understandable that many owners and operators are trying their best to cut on expenses to catch up with their balance sheets. However, it’s also important to understand that making some investments is necessary to make sure that your operations are following the rules. The important thing is to make smart purchases. Hospitals may need sanitation or disinfection tents but small businesses can make do with other gadgets like a UV sanitation tool instead.
The good news is that there is no shortage now of good suppliers that can provide you with these new normal essentials—you just have to be discerning as to how they can help your business and of the quality of their products.
Being a business owner is a huge challenge at the moment, there’s no doubt about it. With these reminders in mind, however, and flexibility to your operations, you can smoothly go back to your normal operations. For your safety needs, check out our collection of New Normal Essentials.
