While Auckland remains at Level 4 for longer, the rest of the country, having moved to Level 3, is swinging into action in preparedness for the increased normality that Level 2 will eventually bring.
While Level 3 is often described as Level 4 with takeaways, small businesses are permitted to operate if they can do so safely and maintain social distancing. This is the time some careful planning can go a long way to ease the transition into Level 3 and beyond.
Contact with Suppliers
Making contact with suppliers now to plan for a resumption of deliveries may put you ahead in the queue. The pressure will be on once Auckland is in Level 3 and many businesses will be able to restart.
Good Communication
Keeping good communication up with staff will ensure they’re on the same page and know the next steps to be taken. Make sure they have been given good notice of when they’re expected to return to premises and in what capacity. Some may be hesitant to return to their workplace and it is better you sort these issues out now before you actually get there.
Review Processes
A review of your current processes may be necessary as there could be changes that need to be made to meet current standards. Any downward move in alert levels will be bringing more customers your way, so make sure you’ve investigated all options for maximising every sales opportunity with every customer.
Now that mandatory record keeping has been introduced, the onus is on the business owner to ensure customers either scan the QR code or manually sign in on a paper register. Failure to do so could result in a fine of up to $1000 for the business owner.
Health and Safety
Stringent health and safety protocols are in place for a reason and this may mean a change to office layout or workflow and the number of people permitted on the premises at any given time. If you are preparing to re-open in level 3, business owners can visit their premises to reorganise anything required such as setting up social distancing requirements during level 4, once a level drop has been announced.
Good hygiene practices such as hand sanitising, social distancing, masks and perspex screens are essential in every workplace. The government has signalled that, if necessary, they will tighten health and safety practices to leave little room for Delta to wiggle its way in. We all need to do our part to keep Delta out.
If you have had to make staff redundant during lockdown has this left you short staffed once trading is allowed again? With the tight labour market it may take extra time to find the skills you need so an early start to the process may be required.
Get yourself a Business Mentor
But perhaps one of the best things a small business owner can do is seek help from a business mentor. Mentoring can provide support in a number of valuable ways, from learning time management skills, obtaining HR or financial guidance, sharing a problem and getting help to solve it, to generating new ideas and being connected into relevant networks. But most of all, business owners that have had a mentor say one of the biggest benefits is just having that sounding board and at times like these, independent, experienced advice can be a lifeline. (Sarah Trotman, ONZM) χPN
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Published 3 September 2021