Businesses during COVID-19

Photo by Scott Graham on Unsplash

   With wave after wave of COVID cases, millions of businesses across America have been struggling to stay afloat. People have been losing jobs and businesses have been closing down due to the lowered demand for goods and services. However, some businesses managed to stay strong amidst all of the surrounding chaos. Here are a few strategies that many have implemented to adapt to the changing economy. 

  A key strategy that many businesses have adopted is employee orientation. Prioritizing employee wellness and security has become important now more than ever especially when  many have been concerned about health, family, and job stability. 5 key points that some successful business have kept in mind are: 1) leading with purpose and aligning organization missions with those of employees, 2) including a variety of personas into scenario planning, 3) helping employees succeed through upskilling (promotions and opportunities), 4) customizing benefits using analytics to evaluate outcomes, and finally 5) redesigning benefit plans to make them more personal. Leaders who have meticulously followed the 5 following steps were able to maintain a relatively stable employee count and keep their business running smoothly. 

  According to WARC, most of the major companies have responded to COVID with the following components to keep all employees safe: crisis management teams, diagnosis protocols, travel requirements, monitoring of business impact, technology, and training. For crisis management, companies employ geographically-based teams that regulate COVID related policy and inform members about good hygiene and  prevention. Diagnosis protocols and strict limits on traveling ensure the safety of all employees and provide guidelines for an immediate course of action in case any symptoms are detected. Teams responsible for monitoring business impact are tasked with assessing the state of the business and making changes according to new data, such as closing down operating locations with high COVID cases.  Successful corporations have also taken advantage of technology such as Skype and Zoom to move work online. Scheduled and timely communication such as emails, calls, or reminders have proven to be advantageous in terms of boosting morale. And lastly, training sessions for staff involving security, cleaning, and maintenance ensure that everyone is clear and well informed on new COVID protocols.

  Even though COVID-19 has been extremely harmful not only to workers but also businesses, many leaders have found ways to work around this giant roadblock; the resilience of many companies during these times shows that a large aspect of surviving in the business world is to be prepared to find innovative solutions to urgent problems.