coronavirus – Growing Forward

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Needless to say, 2020 has been a challenging year for many small businesses. While you probably already know the importance of making positive changes and smart choices within your own company, you might be feeling overwhelmed by everything on your plate.

Unfortunately, the stress that can come from uncertain times, recession-level unemployment rates, and low profits can lead to even more problems. Stress leads to burnout, a lack of motivation and productivity, and can even cause physical health problems like high blood pressure and heart conditions.

While you may not be able to control the economy or even how successful your business is at this very moment, there are some things that are within your control. Making the choice to keep your business as organized as possible can help to alleviate some of the stress you’re feeling. It can also bring your employees a sense of comfort and familiarity, allowing them to be more productive.

So, if you’ve gotten overwhelmed by the effects of the Coronavirus pandemic and you’re trying to figure out how to reel those emotions in and get back to work, get organized! Let’s look at a few strategies you can put in place to make that happen.

Don’t Waste Your Time With Documents

Many business employees spend over an hour each day trying to organize documents and digital files. If one is “misplaced” within the cloud or another document center on the computer, it can be a virtual nightmare to find it again.

Using document organization like Filecenter can help you to keep everything in one place, scan your documents easily, and even provide cloud sharing so other employees can have access to important documents at a moment’s notice. It’s also a great option for offices that are choosing to go paperless.

Plan Your Social Media Strategy

If you don’t have a person specifically tasked with social media on your team, it’s far too easy to forget about platforms like Facebook and Instagram.

But, they’re incredibly important. There are 3 billion people using these platforms each month, so it’s important to look at them as potential customers/clients. If you don’t want to spend a lot of time each day planning out posts and figuring out what to share, pick one or two days a week and create your content ahead of time, so you can automatically schedule it to post later.

Be sure to check back on your posts to see what kind of engagement they’re getting. It’s much easier to respond to a comment or answer a question than to think of fresh content several times a day.

Create a Productive Workspace

Now is the perfect time to give your workspace a boost, or completely change the scenery. Physical environments can impact the mental health of employees, and if they don’t feel inspired it will lead to a lack in productivity. Instead of your business running like a machine, it’s bound to get lazy and messy.

You can encourage both organization and productivity by creating an environment that inspires your employees. Try things like live plants in the offices, or standing desks to keep people awake and alert. Don’t be afraid to ask your employees what they need in order to feel more organized and more productive.

Whether your business is reopening now or you have plans to in the near future, staying organized will allow you to be calm and less stressed. In turn, you can pass those feelings onto your employees, and be an inspiration to your whole company.

Collaborative post – may contain affiliate links

As coronavirus continues to spread around the world, business owners and managers are preparing for a long period of recovery. With normal operations suspended or greatly reduced, the effects of COVID-19 will be felt throughout every industry. However, there are a variety of innovative ways you can safeguard your business against the long-term impacts of the pandemic…

Adapt to different delivery methods

Businesses that already operate online will be well-primed to continue delivering services to customers. For companies that rely on face-to-face interactions or bricks and mortar stores, however, things will be trickier. To overcome the barriers your business faces, explore alternative delivery methods to ensure your customers can still access your products and services.

Adaptability is a valuable trait, and, in these testing times, your business has a chance to show just how versatile it can be. Restaurants switching to subscription-style food deliveries, theatre groups hosting online performances and teachers delivering lessons in real-time via the internet are just a few examples of how you can adapt your operations to continue trading, despite the disruption to your business.

Diversify your product range

Coronavirus is affecting every sector but it’s having a varying impact. While some industries are effectively on hiatus, others are under immense pressure to increase their output to serve local, national and global communities.

Depending on your set and facilities, you may be able to modify your processes to join in the effort to overcome COVID-19. If your company has its own production line, for example, the addition of sanitary tubing may enable you to start manufacturing products and equipment for the medical or food and drink industry. By diversifying your product range in this way, you can continue to operate and deliver extremely valuable support when it’s needed most.

Consider the long-lasting impact self-isolation has

As people are either encouraged or required to stay at home, the way we live, work and interact is changing. With an increasing reliance on technology, remote working facilities, at-home entertainment, and delivery services are in higher demand in ever before. However, don’t assume that things will ‘return to normal’ following the outbreak of coronavirus.

Instead, take the time to consider how this period of self-isolation and ‘lockdown’ will change your customers’ behaviors. By doing so, you can get ahead of the curve and begin to tweak your business operations to satisfy your target audience in a post-coronavirus environment.

Keep Your Company Operational Amidst Coronavirus Outbreak

Depending on your specific location and the nature of your business, you may be prevented from trading as normal while the coronavirus outbreak continues to wreak havoc. Many firms considered ‘non-essential’ are being asked or instructed to close until further notice, for example.

If you’re prevented from trading as normal, this doesn’t prevent you from modifying your processes to continue operating. Furthermore, you can still safeguard your business by planning your return to standard trading. With a compassionate outlook, patient perseverance and creative solutions, your business can continue to serve its customers during these unprecedented and unpredictable times.