By Sumona
The world saw a dip in the numbers of Covid positive people, which was such a delightful gift for the holidays that passed. But things are quick to turn around, and with the arrival of the omicron variant, numbers are threatening to reach an all-time high that could lead to stricter measures set in place.
This experience is nothing new since it’s very similar to what happened two years ago. Still, since the discovery of the vaccines, policies have been pretty lax, which could compromise everybody’s wellbeing.
It’s not only humans whose lives are in jeopardy; businesses also are in danger of losing their place in the market as the world goes into quarantine once more.
It has been an unstable past few years for everyone in the business sector, and it’s safe to expect that this unfortunate situation will continue for a few more years. At this point, there’s nothing much to do other than get vaccinated and follow health protocols.
For businesses, it’d be best to give their admins and managers a refresher on the decisions that worked for them in the early months of 2020.
a. Constant Alignments
Since you’ll most probably send your employees back to a work-from-home jobs, you’d once again need to rely on various remote services to keep in touch. It’s challenging to get timely updates when not everyone is working in the same physical space, but it is possible with slight adjustments.
Since using communication apps fit for work, like Microsoft Teams, Skype, and Slack, are already part of your processes, you’d only need to rely on these channels once more. These communication avenues are helpful when it comes to giving your staff information they need to know, primarily if it affects their working setup or changes the tasks they have.
To know who in the team is working on a particular job, having a tracker will also help you and the rest of your employees keep aligned.
b. Ready for Anything
The adversities your company underwent during the initial quarters of 2020 are the opposite of the blessings you should be thankful for; still, you can fall back on these experiences to keep your business afloat during this time. There was a particular part during the first year of the pandemic when everyone was running around to get last-minute resources to stock up their pantries, leading to hoarding of essentials and insufficient supply.
It would be best to have a steady supply of the materials your company needs. However, you should leave enough for other people, as well. For instance, if you operate in a hospital, it would be best to get sufficient reserves of body bags for dead bodies, so you can contain any contagious virus that might also come from the cadavers.
Medical supplies like masks and PPE wear are also a must, especially if you and your team often deal with high volume crowds.
c. A Setup You Can Fall Back On
You and your staff are probably well-versed in the office or WFH set up by this time after oscillating between the two for almost two years. It’s great to finally be comfortable in various work settings that you and your team no longer have to take your time to get used to the different environments.
Throughout the year, you may have been switching from remote work, onsite attendance, and skeletal workforce, but now, in light of the surging numbers, the first option mentioned is the one that would keep you and your employees the safest.
Once worse comes to worst, it’d be ideal to have everything you need ready for last-minute changes. For example, suppose it’s a work-from-home setup for you and your team this time. In that case, laptops, other essential office equipment, and a stable internet connection should be in place before the next shift arrives to ensure a seamless transition and no disruption in any work process.
d. Manual for Different Instances
Anything is possible these days – numbers can triple in a day or two, and if by some miracle, it can also drop, making it all the more imperative that you prepare for various instances. When looking at things to set in place or protocols you need to cascade, you should always prioritize your staff’s wellbeing. If it’s a WFH setup that can safeguard them from the surges, then it’s your responsibility to keep them at home until it’s safe to work in the office again.
It would help to consider the worst possibilities when creating a manual suitable for these trying times. For instance, if one of your personnel tests positive, it’s your onus to help them find proper medical care, deep clean your office space (if they were on the premises days before), and have close-contact employees go for testing to see if they got infected.
Although it’s almost three years since the first discovery of the virus, it’s still impossible to prepare for the circumstances it brings. It takes a lot to give your company complete protection against the economic implications the pandemic brings forth. Still, preparations will be easy when you keep your staff’s welfare in mind.
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