Our clients are starting to postpone on site meetings with us and we have had to ask some staff to work from home. The effects of the Coronavirus are starting to feel real now.

As a small business, we’re hanging on in there, trying to maintain business as usual but we’re in a fortunate position in that we have the capability and the technology to work from home.  Many of our clients who provide face to face services in the care sector, hospitality or in blue collar industries, face real challenges if their staff can’t perform their duties because of the Coronavirus. 

I think its starting to sink in now with the majority of employers that they need to put some plans in place for WHEN rather than IF the pandemic affects their business. That’s why we have created a FREE Infectious Disease Protection Plan for UK employers.

Here are 10 positive steps that employers can take right now:

1. Keep up to date with developments – the situation is changing daily as the virus spreads;
2. Communicate with your people – share your challenges, anxieties, information and how this affects the business and the workforce – you’re in it together.  Make sure that you have up to date contact details;
3. Be flexible – everyone’s circumstances are going to be different and so it is going to be tricky to put in place hard and fast rules;
4. Be open minded – your team may have some great suggestions to cope in a crisis – you need to be open to hearing them
5. Show empathy – make sure that your team know that you care about how this affects them as well as the business;
6. Review your working practices – agile working might help rather than hinder your business. Consider whether there is a better way of doing things, even after the outbreak has abated;
7. Tick those jobs off the bottom of your To Do list – now might be the perfect time to update your contracts and employee handbook or carry out a GDPR audit of your data;
8. Do a spring clean of your office – clean, tidy, sort, shred and bin stuff you don’t need;
9. Be brave – the short to medium term future is unknown so you’re going to have to face the challenges head on and be creative; don’t bury your head in the sand; and
10. Stay connected – if you have to close down your operation, keep in regular contact with your team and perhaps set up a buddy scheme where staff keep in touch with one or a group of people whilst in isolation.

Download our FREE Infectious Disease Protection Plan