Business disruptions are incredibly common, but their effects should be minimised wherever possible.
After all, the coronavirus pandemic has caused many firms to struggle and limp along the road to recovery. Others, unfortunately, have not been so lucky, facing permanent layoffs and closures after failing to survive.
Therefore, it’s never been more important to sail through these storms as smoothly as possible as a business owner, especially when the effects of the pandemic will still be felt long after the illness itself has faded into obscurity. You can’t vaccinate an economic downturn, so bolstering your businesses efficiency is one of the few solutions you have left to you at this time.
Below you’ll find some of the steps you may need to take to minimise business disruptions.
3 Steps To Take That Will Minimise Business Disruptions
Streamline Employee Management
Employees are the soul of any firm out there today, and only by managing them effectively can you hope to optimize your company.
While the pandemic has certainly devastated economies the world over, it has sparked an employment boom in certain sectors for a fortunate few. Of course, there’s a difference between putting bums in seats and nurturing top tier talent to their peak efficiency. Steps to take include:
- Hiring well – Only the most effective workers will push the limits of their roles to new extremes. Orchestrate a resourceful interview process that asks tough questions, rigorously tests candidate’s aptitude, and ultimately hires the right person the first time, every time.
- Managing the workplace environment – Workers who have state-of-the-art technologies at their disposal and positive surroundings will influence them to perform their jobs to peak efficiency. Ample space and a clean place of work will also help significantly.
- Offer perks – Employees who remain in their roles for a long while will soon come to learn your business inside and out. They’ll perform better, and train newcomers more ably also. Offer perks like pay rises, company-specific discounts to incentivise them to stay.
- Provide support – There is a real need for workplaces to define a positive company culture and provide their employees with friendly support throughout the working day. Concerns should be listened to, and complaints should be taken seriously and remedied, so prioritising communication is a sure-fire way to go also.
Ultimately, people only perform their best work when they feel both safe and comfortable in their work environment. Any doubts, insecurities, and concerns will always fester into something greater and may even create reasonings to depart the company completely. Foster a positive working relationship with your employees, and fewer disruptions should occur as far as worker wellbeing and staff turnover go.
Pursue a Fresh EICR Report
An Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) are an official document that’s provided by a qualified electrician or engineer, assessing the quality of all your electrical installations.
Obtaining one for your commercial premises will mean that you have increased insight into the functionality of your firm. After all, technology is not always reliable, so it’s best not to leave all your devices to their own devices. An EICR should be carried out at regular intervals, tested at 5 years or after every change of occupancy. Understanding the EICR price per circuit is essential in budgeting for the safety and compliance of your electrical systems, ensuring that you can plan for these inspections without unexpected financial strain.
If you’d like to know the cost of an EICR report, then Trade Facilities Services can provide ample guidance. While residential property prices are all listed on the site, a commercial EICR will require a quick call to confirm costs first, though they include 12 circuits and 10 appliances per property, as well as VAT rates of 20%. In the end, this makes their service more personalised, ensuring they devote the correct amount of time for a job well done.
To ensure the process goes as smoothly as possible, Trade Facilities Services have also published a list of recommendations that, once followed, enable them to get out of your hair sooner. Making sure consumer units are correctly labelled, switched off and unplugged, and informing them of broken fixtures are just some of the preferences that help them work in a timely manner.
Secure Additional Financial Support
It would be understandable to require additional financial support after the turbulent period of the last year.
If you’re in or nearing this situation yourself, the first thing you should do is consult gov.uk for a comprehensive table of all the financial support available for businesses via official channels. With the furlough scheme extended until September 21st 2021, recovery loan schemes being implemented, and a new ‘Help to Grow’ initiative commencing in autumn, there should theoretically be enough support in one form or another to see you through the bleaker times of late.
It may also be worth dipping into your own savings to keep your business more comfortably afloat (so long as it’s financially viable for you to do so), or strike up conversations with investors, families, or friends who may be willing to chip in themselves also. Ultimately, there’s more than fiscal dead ends awaiting you and your firm, so be certain to explore all the monetary avenues that are available now and opening up in future.
