The challenges and complexities of restarting a business after lockdown

When the lockdown ends and the government finally announces that you are allowed to reopen your business, it's never going to be as simple as opening the doors and asking your workforce to return. COVID-19 has ushered in a 'new normal' for both our society and our economy. Once the lockdown restrictions have been removed business owners around the world are going to have to approach the working day with a fresh pair of eyes.

Social distancing in the workplace

Over the past few months, whether it's been taking the dog for a walk or getting our groceries, we've all been taking care to practise social distancing in our personal lives. The reopening of factories, offices, cafe's or restaurants will have to adhere to the new levels of personal space that need to be incorporated into a working day. With many firms choosing to install items such as Perspex barrier screens between desks to protect colleagues from one another, there's a sudden unexpected expense to budget for now. Other options can include leaving the appropriate amount of space between workers on the assembly line or factory floor, and only calling perhaps 50% of your workforce back at any one time. However, you will also need to take into consideration how your employees will travel to work and, depending on which industry you're in, you may need to make arrangements for them to do so safely.

A different state of mind

It's easy to make light of an enforced period away from work but, for many people, the experience has been mentally challenging. Shut away from friends and family for a prolonged period, the consumption of alcohol at home is reported to have significantly increased. As an employer, you have a duty of care to ensure that this isn't something that carries on into the working day. Lab confirmation tests can be done discreetly and quickly with reliable and accurate detection allowing you to be aware of any potential issues before they become a severe problem for an employee, their colleagues and the overall performance of your business.

Protecting your employees and your customers

People will understandably be very apprehensive about returning to work, so it's essential to make them confident in their environment and know that you take their safety seriously. However, with the economy having been effectively closed for the past few months, it may be that you need to think about restructuring your workforce to cope with the financial impact that lockdown has had. For many businesses to survive, job losses and redundancies are sadly inevitable. You will need to have a very clear plan in mind for how your business is going to survive before you do this so that you can make the most effective changes without the risk of losing highly regarded talented members of staff.