The COVID-19 pandemic has been tough on businesses in all industries. If you’ve had to close for a while but are now making preparations to reopen, there’s a lot to think about and a lot to get ready. The way your business works will likely have to change. Here are a few tips to help you get ready to reopen safely. 

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Before you worry about opening, start with practicalities like having your business space deep cleaned by a company like https://deductltd.co.uk/ and letting your customers know when you will be back in business. Next, you need to make sure you’re ready. 

Social Distancing

You might be able to reopen, but the virus is still out there. Once you open, you will need to maintain social distancing. Prepare the office so employees or customers feel safe when they come in. 

Make sure the distance between employees is always six feet. This means spacing out workspaces and considering the room in your breakroom. You might need to spread out breaks differently, especially if your staff kitchen is small. Think about where people might meet, like corridors and bathrooms. Set up one-way systems in narrow corridors, and lock every other toilet cubicle so you don’t get too many people in close proximity. 

Make sure you are still allowing people to work from home if you can. You might feel safe returning to the office, but others may not. Vulnerable staff, those caring for elderly relatives, or those living with keyworkers might not want to come back just yet. 

Visitors

When you reopen your office, you will get visitors again. Whether you’re having meetings with clients or have deliveries arriving, things will start getting back to normal. Set rules for visits to your office, or you could put people at risk. 

Don’t allow anyone into the building who doesn’t need to be there, and consider temperature checking everyone coming in. Encourage staff to have minimal in-person meetings and reach out to people virtually instead. The fewer people coming into the building, the better. 

Cost-Cutting

If you’ve been closed for a while, you’re probably worrying about costs and profit for your business. When you cut costs, remember that you are also cutting down on the possibilities of the revenue that you can generate. Think carefully about any cost-cutting strategies that you’re considering. How can you best cut costs while still responsibly increasing the revenue, and evolve your business through proper cost strategies. Not all strategies to cut costs will result in boosted revenue or will help you with your post-pandemic goals. 

Ideally, you need to run carefully through your financial projections and think carefully about whether cost-setting is the best solution to your current situation. If you feel as though cutting your costs won’t cause you any further issues or won’t cause any problems for your business, then you go ahead with your plans.

Reopening is going to be a challenge, with a lot of new things to worry about, so tread carefully.