COVID-19 Round Two: Is Your Business Ready?

Your business, like so many others, may have been blind-sided by COVID-19 last year. But you’ve learned a few things since then. You’re proud of how far you’ve come in transitioning with the turbulent times. A lot has changed when you reflect on pre-pandemic operations and now. Your teams have proven to be pivotal to your continued success, and how you engage your customers has shifted to a more widespread, digital method; however, COVID-19 round two might be just around the corner.

Now that you’re feeling a little more comfortable with this quasi-new normal, it’s important to look on the horizon. COVID-19 might not be in the rearview mirror just yet, with rising positive cases and new strains of the virus circulating. What you realize now and know you should be doing is preparing for the next round. Today, we’ll help you do just that and position your company for resilience in whatever comes next.

Adopting a Hybrid Work Model

Companies learned during the infancy stages of the pandemic that operations can continue with employees working from home. If you’re bringing staff back into the office now, you’ll no doubt be preparing for a new company culture shrouded in safety measures and best practices. But it’s important to not necessarily abandon the hybrid model just yet.

Talent Acquisition Can Be Global

Your business may be bringing the staff back to field and office work, but don’t abandon the remote working model. Talent acquisition can be a global endeavor, allowing you to find unique talents anywhere, essential to the growth and scaling of your company. Of course, take care of the teams you have, but keep exploring onboarding efforts beyond city and state lines. Should COVID-19 rear its ugly head for a second time, you’ll still be in a position to maintain and grow your workforce.

Remote-Centric Workflows Just Work

You may have revolutionized how you did business during the shutdowns of 2020. And those entirely digital workflows worked great. Don’t put it in reverse and abandon those more efficient and streamlined workflows. Look for ways to improve and enhance them so your internal processes will continue to be viable during any future pandemic effects.

Developing Online Accessible Resources for Everyone

Preparing for whatever comes next also means centralizing pools of resources for everyone on your team. There are incredible software solutions available that are essential for data management and accessibility. Implementing what you can now, will help you connect later, should traditional working environments shift again. The future of business is going to involve data-rich platforms anyway. Making those changes now will ensure you’re ahead of the curve in the future.

Streamline How You Troubleshoot

Your business will continue to encounter challenges and bumps in the road, pandemic related or not. You might as well steer the company trajectory in a direction that will allow you to streamline troubleshooting and solution-seeking environments. Here are a few business development and operational tips that will make problem-solving a more efficient process for your company.

Lightning-Fast Decision Making

Sometimes, troubleshooting gets bogged down because departments and teams are waiting on approvals of others before taking action. If COVID-19 taught you anything, it’s that critical decision-making needs to be swift. Preparing your business now means looking for ways to enact lightning-fast decisions without endless red tape or deliberations. This doesn’t just apply to chain of command decisions, either. Look for ways to improve online algorithms and channels that allow more directional responses to happen at the lowest levels of company authority.

A New View of Operations

You are leading your company from a new vantage point and through new lenses now. Don’t backtrack and try to troubleshoot the way you did before the pandemic. New problems can only be addressed if you catch them. And you won’t see issues in the new normal if you’re trying to force an old operational method into the new ecosystem. Adjust your problem-solving from your new view.

Company Agility

Company agility allowed you to navigate the zig and zag decisions you had to make in 2020. Don’t get rooted in a way that your business structure can’t leverage that flexibility again if the need arises in the future. Remember, even the tallest skyscrapers are built to ebb and flow in the wind. It’s that kind of flexibility and agility that will keep your company in a position to roll with whatever punches lie ahead.

Embrace Your Greatest Company Assets

One of the best, and probably easiest, ways to prepare your company for a second wave of COVID-19 is to lead with your best foot forward. Embrace your company strengths and make them your secret sauces and key differentiation factors. Improve what you already know works well and pull every other facet of your company up with it.

Your Teams Matter

Invest in the values and interests of your people and take care of them. Flatten the old structure of yesterday that didn’t play any significant role in how your business succeeded in 2020. Build platforms that make their lives and jobs more efficient. Don’t sweat the irrelevant details that may have been more prohibitive in past work environments. Instead, offer great benefits and flexible options that matter to your employees. Give them the freedom to voice concerns and explore their own solutions. After all, it’s your team that will see you through the next big obstacle.

Your Company Culture Is Your Superpower

Company culture is the focus. Businesses today know that service and product deliverables are essential, but not at the expense of the culture. What do your business model and brand stand for, and where do your core values lie? Take that stance and plant your company culture flag in it. Build an environment that everyone can get behind and support, with as much initiative as you do.

Your Vendor Partnerships Need to Be Value-Driven

Unnecessary partnerships are a waste of time. Every vendor your company needs should be vetted again for value assessment. Work with only those businesses that provide more than just cost savings. Find and work with those that can provide ongoing growth and solutions.

Don’t presume the worst is behind us. You can develop your roadmap to growth and success no matter what lies ahead. Tap into these business tips to help you prepare. And when it comes to only working with the best partners, let W3LL help you navigate all-things health insurance, ICHRAs, and everything administratively in between. We can help you prepare for another wave of COVID-19 or anything else that may affect your company.