7 things your business should do now to prepare for 2021
The world can change rapidly, and the main focus of the business world is to make it run as smoothly as possible. The current pandemic has made all the business leaders think about their survival whether they are of large corporations or small businesses. How you can grow your company and operate it more effectively is the main question in anyone’s mind in these dynamic and changing times.
Read on for top tips for the business strategies that you can adopt in these unpredictable times to give you the best chance for business success.
1. Keep up to date
Pay attention to market conditions and regional laws and regulations. We know that things are changing rapidly at the moment, so keeping up to date with the latest is crucial. This will put you in the strongest position to respond as quickly as possible to shifting landscapes. Furthermore, it is important to keep up to date with all relevant laws and local regulations, as failure to comply can land you in trouble.
For example, make sure that you stay on top of laws regarding health and infection control. If operating an office or store that has onsite staff and visitors, make sure you comply religiously with all guidelines such as emergency deep-clean requirements. Depending on your location, you may need to ensure regular deep-cleaning to comply with local laws.
2. Don’t take anything for granted
For the coming year, the good news is that businesses and economies are expecting to open up. However, it is important that you don’t have to take anything for granted. You have to be ready for the second (or third) wave of the COVID-19 pandemic and make preparations accordingly. Make your plans, but be prepared that things can change at any moment.
3. Create a crisis management team
To deal with both current and future crises it is important to create a CMT (Crisis Management Team). Depending on the size and scope of your business, your internal team could consist of representatives of different departments like HR, IT operations and management. The main purpose behind putting together this team is to better understand the situation and to develop a strategy to best respond to the crisis.
The CMT should develop guidelines for the company’s communication plan for effective communication and messaging. Last but not least, the Crisis Management Team should meet regularly to keep up to date with latest developments and to adapt plans accordingly.
4. Conduct an employee survey
Another important thing to do now to prepare for 2021 is to conduct an employee survey, looking at the skills you have in-house and assign employees accordingly. This should take into account the shift to the work-at-home model and how this suits your staff. Remember that staff mental health and welfare is critical, so conduct a survey of your employees and listen to what they have to say. For example, you can ask who is more willing to work from home and which employees prefer to work from the office.
5. Set up online workstations
As the COVID pandemic continues into 2021, most businesses will need employees to work remotely at least part of the time. This will not only save businesses on expenses, but more importantly will protect your staff, clients and the wider community. However, this also means that you have to have certain infrastructure in place to allow your employees to work remotely, such as video conferencing and online communications tools.
Having employees working from home isn’t as simple as just giving them a laptop and expecting them to work out the rest, especially not in the long term. Now is the time to set up virtual workstations for your staff so they can work from home as efficiently as possible. Remote work is here to stay, so it is important to be prepared!
6. Develop effective channels for communication
Likewise, it is critical to have proper communication channels in place to accommodate remote work in 2021. You have to develop proper communication among employees and management, as well as between staff and clients.
Establish set protocols for effective and accurate communication. Create multiple channels so that all employees can get and read all the messages quickly and at the same time. For example, if using a team communication tool like Slack, you can have separate channels for different teams, projects and casual chats.
7. Automation and virtual reality
Modern technology offers many solutions to problems that were previously insurmountable. In particular, automation and virtual reality tools are offering many solutions to problems thrown up by the current crisis, such as virtual training solutions and automated email marketing. Effective online marketing can increase demand for your products and services and expand your customer base. These solutions can help businesses to survive the financial crisis by minimizing expenses and increasing returns.
