Worried about the coronavirus and how to keep it from affecting your small business? From a health standpoint, working in a small office may be one of the safest places you can be. There are fewer workers than in large businesses, and you’ll notice anyone who gets sick. From a financial standpoint, you want to keep business-as-usual going as much as you can.
Let’s be clear: We don’t know where this coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak is going to go and what impact it will have on individuals’ health and the global economy. What is clear is that we all hope it will end as soon as possible, with as little human and financial cost as possible. Here’s what you should do to protect your business from coronavirus.
Communicate with staff
One of the most important things you can do is communicate with your employees. Many are likely concerned about their health and how they can continue working as more things get shut down.
Invest in work-from-home technology
While most people likely have a phone, a computer and an internet connection, some may not have enough bandwidth to do the kind of work they do at the office at home. Some companies may also not be set up with the right collaboration tools, such as internal communications programs or secure Wi-Fi networks to allow for remote work. So, don’t hesitate to set up your workers as they may be required to work from home.
Travel, but take precautions
If you’re not sick and don’t believe you’ve been exposed to COVID-19, you may need to or want to travel. Perhaps you need to serve customers, land new customers (who might be looking for new domestic suppliers as their overseas supply chain gets disrupted) or just to maintain business relationships. You can travel but take precautions, including bringing antiseptic wipes and wiping down the entire area around you.
Don’t force employees to travel or go to big meetings
If you have employees who are nervous about the coronavirus, be responsive to their concerns. Now is the time to pull together and demonstrate that you are committed to their well-being. Be certain not to require employees to travel or to attend large gatherings – even meetings with more than half a dozen people or so. If they get sick, you may have liability issues, but even if they don’t, you will have disgruntled workers and low morale in your workplace.
Provide paid sick leave
You definitely don’t want sick employees to come to work, but if they’re afraid of losing much-needed income, they’ll show up. Fortunately, two-thirds of small businesses provide paid sick leave, but the lowest-paid workers are often uncovered, and they’re in industries where they can have the greatest ability to spread infection (such as food service and child care). We all need to do our bit to stop this outbreak, so help sick employees stay home by paying sick leave.
