Image by Markus Winkler from Pixabay

By Henry Brown

There is some good news for businesses as many lockdown measures are easing as people are encouraged to try and go back to some from of normality in the best way that they can. Which means for some, returning to the workplace, and for business owners to kickstart and get back on track. However, it isn’t going to be easy, and you may need to help your workforce feel comfortable with the transition. With that in mind, here are some of the things that you can do.

Practice flexibility with working

With many businesses having to send their workforce home and to offer more flexibility such as working from home options, now that the lockdown is starting to ease you may be encouraging them back to work. However, don’t lose sight of how flexible the working environment has been. Many people struggle with strict hours when it comes to their family commitments, so why not continue the flexible working? Allowing people to work from home more often or even flexible hours in terms of the working week. Your workforce will thank you for it and in the future could help you to control big overheads like office space leases, for example.

Keep the workspace sanitized

It is important that your workforce and staff feel safe, especially coming back into work with the outbreak still at large. So keeping your workplace clean, sanitized and following the Covid-19 guidelines that will have been set for operating businesses will help you do just that. There are specialist providers of hand sanitizer for B2B businesses so having this available for your staff members will help you to stay on track and enable them to feel safe.

Enforce the rules and follow them

Another thing that you should do would be to enforce the rules and make sure that you follow them yourself. This means things like social distancing having enough space for people to take breaks without being too close to one another. You may even need to think about spacing out desks and working areas to comply. The more you do to help your business and staff, the more those people will feel assured heading back into work. It is these small things that can help you to come across as understanding. You have a business that needs to function, but you also need to be in a position where people can safely work.

Diversify your business accordingly

Finally, it might be time to try and diversify your business in some way. Could there be other areas that you explore because of this pandemic? Have there been any opportunities created because of lockdown measures or new things that you could do to enhance your business. Many businesses have struggled because of the Covid-19 outbreak, but that doesn’t mean you can’t diversify your business and try to make the best of the situation. The more you do, the more you can try and claw back any lost profits that you have experienced.

Let’s hope these tips help you to help your workforce during this difficult time.

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Henry Brown is an online marketing executive. When he isn’t talking shop, he’s roaming the streets of London, uncovering the extra-ordinary in the ordinary.