Business Continuity during COVID 19
The mutant corona virus pandemic, known as COVID has taken the world by storm! Many businesses are finding it increasingly difficult to cope up – bracing for a war with a mysterious enemy. As the days go by, the enemy is getting closer, national and international borders are closing and multiple factors and parameters are changing ever so rapidly. How a business will emerge victorious is impacted not only by economic factors, health and global legislature, but also by strong leadership, human response and meticulous scenario planning. Let us look at some ways businesses can help save themselves from this pandemic.
Manage the risk of exposure
With respect to different government laws, there are strict restrictions on the wide range of activities and venues a business can operate in. A business can
- Use personal protective equipment (PPE) effectively and appropriately
- Ensure physical distancing – keeping employees physically apart at the workplace – is implemented
- Maintain cleanliness and good hygiene in the workplace
There are other steps that can be taken to ensure the risk of being infected is down to a minimum, for example push back all tasks that are not essential. A business can
- Consider the context of the business, i.e. the work carried out, employers and customers who might visit the workplace. Don’t crowd the workplace unnecessarily.
- Do what is necessary to eliminate the risk of employees and customers contracting the virus
Ensuring good hygiene is practiced at the work place
Employees should
- Frequently sanitize or preferably wash hands with soap and running water
- Limit physical contact such as shaking hands or exchanging business cards – use Sailax digital business cards instead of traditional business cards
- Cover their mouths when sneezing or coughing with a clean tissue.
Employers should
- Provide easy access on entry and exit to hand cleaning stations
- Emphasize the importance of good hand hygiene with the help of posters
- Avoid customers touching products unnecessarily
Keep the workplace hygienic and clean
Employers should
- Schedule regular thorough cleaning of the workplace
- Ensure areas frequently visited by employees and customers are cleaned multiple times in a day
- Ensure surfaces touched frequently are disinfected several times in a day, for example, handrails, door knobs, elevator buttons, eftposequipments, etc
While the surfaces and commonly visited areas are being sanitized, the cleaning staff should wear gloves and cover their mouths with appropriate masks to prevent themselves from contracting the virus.
Apply physical distancing at the workplace
Employers should help the government curb the spread of the virus by following and implementing rules for physical distancing – staying a minimum of 1.5 metres, or in lay man’s terms, 2 arms apart. These physical distancing rules may not always be practical. For example:
- Rideshares – encourage passengers to sit in the rear seat
- Deliveries – encourage digital signatures for parcels
- Payments – encourage customers to use contactless payment options
To summarize, practice good hygiene and ensure only the necessary people come into work, rest can work from home. Stay safe!