How to Mitigate the Business Impacts of a COVID Winter
Share:
Welcome to Thomas Insights — every day, we publish the latest news and analysis to keep our readers up to date on what’s happening in industry. Sign up here to get the day’s top stories delivered straight to your inbox.
In any normal year, the winter season causes a spike in transmissible disease due to people spending more time indoors and in close contact with others. But the COVID-19 winter of 2021 is rapidly developing into a once-in-a-century health crisis, with record infection rates spurred by people congregating indoors over the Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Eve holidays.
Although roughly 10.8 million vaccinations have been administered in the U.S. to date, the virus is likely to remain with us until well into 2021. Businesses must do all they can to control the impacts of COVID-19 through the tough winter months as the U.S. faces what Dr. Fauci has described as a “surge upon surge” situation.
Here are eight ways businesses can mitigate the impacts of a COVID winter.
1. Plan for Staff Absences
Make a business continuity plan in case of a spike in absenteeism. Keep in mind this may not necessarily be caused by people falling ill from COVID; your staff may be ordered to quarantine themselves or need to care for others who have been affected.
Make a plan in case your leadership team is unable to work. Who will make key decisions in order to keep the business running? Ensure there is a clear chain of command so remaining staff do not argue about who is in charge.
2. Consider New Sources of Income
Mitigate the impacts of potential downturns in demand by exploring new, non-core sources of income. This could involve:
- Manufacturing as a Service: Make money from your underutilized machinery by completing manufacturing jobs for other businesses.
- Rent out unused office space or vehicles that are not needed due to remote working.
- Convert your operation to manufacture in-demand items such as hand sanitizer, respirators, and PPE.
3. Double Down on Employee COVID Education
There may be a temptation to ease off on employee education after nearly a year of talking about COVID safety, but the winter months are crucial. Be sure to educate workers on the importance of hygiene (handwashing), mask-wearing, and social distancing.
One of the biggest factors impacting workplace infections are workers who feel they have to come into work despite feeling sick, infecting others in the process. Be clear in communicating the “stay home if you feel sick” message. If workers continue to break this rule, it may be that your sick-leave policies are to blame.
4. Keep Abreast of Regulatory Changes
Keep on top of COVID safety guidance from OSHA, the CDC, and the FDA.
This can be difficult because guidance is changing fast and can sometimes be contradictory, but your goal as a business owner should be to avoid being taken by surprise by a regulatory change.
5. Encourage and Motivate Staff
The winter months are a difficult time for many even under normal circumstances, with Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) causing moodiness, depression, and sapping energy levels. In a COVID winter, it’s likely that more workers will feel discouraged and lack motivation than usual. Invest time into HR programs such as (socially distanced) team get-togethers, increased reward and recognition, and counseling if required.
6. Continue to Support Remote Work
After months of remote work, employers are understandably eager to bring remote workers back into the workplace, but it is advisable to wait — if possible — until after winter to do so, and to continue to support remote working from an HR and technology perspective.
If staff are returning to work, consider implementing a staged process such as limiting capacity to 25% of your workforce. Keep in mind that some of your staff may be uncomfortable or unwilling to come back to the workplace until the crisis is over.
7. Identify Cost Savings
If your business hasn’t already done so, conduct a review of potential cost savings. Many businesses have found cost savings linked to the rise in remote working, such as reduced vehicle/fleet usage or shutting down non-essential office space.
For many industrial businesses, the best source of cost savings can be found in the supply chain, but keep in mind that savings through supplier consolidation may be risky in a year of supply chain disruption.
8. Consider Building a Flexible Workforce
If you are in a position where you are hiring or re-hiring staff, consider hiring workers on a flexible basis — at least until the COVID-19 crisis is over and the economy has returned to normality. A flexible staffing strategy enables you to flex your staff up and down in response to changing demand, but requires a pool of readily available flexible workers in your area.
Image Credit: fizkes / Shutterstock.com
More from Career & Workforce
