Covid-19 has put every business in the UK through hell.
On 23 March, the nation’s workforce was essentially sent home overnight, and our country scrambled to get its people back online from spare rooms, garden sheds and kitchen worktops. Acclimatising to home working was less a cake-walk than a baptism of fire, as we juggled not only our livelihoods, but childcare and home-schooling too – less than 24 hours after Downing Street’s address.
The survival toolkit
Those businesses who lacked the technical or financial backing to respond swiftly have already fallen by the wayside. Those left standing face an uncertain future. Markets have contracted, supply chains are precarious, and, if folks don’t behave, we may still endure further lockdowns. If businesses are going to prosper, they’ll need – alongside optimism and innovative thinking – to focus on running a tighter ship than ever before. There’s no longer any margin for error, procrastination, or flabby processes. Only the very fittest will survive. In life after lockdown, we’ll be focusing on these key business features:
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Frequent risk assessment: With changing times come evolving – and entirely new – risks. Risk assessments must be frequent, relevant and agile to keep our businesses safe and compliant. As customers seek to minimise their own exposure to risk in unsure times, they, too, will be drawn to those companies who’re doing everything by the book. Be that company.
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Emergency planning: The announcement on 23 March divided the nation’s businesses into two groups – those who had a business continuity plan, and those who didn’t. Going forward into a yet uncertain future, every business must have clear emergency plans in place if they are to successfully endure another lockdown – or whatever Covid-19 is still to throw at us.
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ISO 9001: Possibly the most important standard to safeguard business prosperity and readiness for change, ISO 9001 (Quality Management) is a robust framework for a successful business – whatever’s going on in the world at large. From managing our employees during the pandemic, to setting business objectives and handling suppliers, this standard gets businesses fitter for trading in hard times, and gives them the edge over less proactive competitors. And we all need an edge right now.
What Joe Wicks got right
We might be tired of his undaunted enthusiasm and aspirational six-pack, but Joe Wicks has one thing right. Lockdown, or what’s left of it, is not the time for inaction, but for getting ourselves and our businesses in the best shape possible to live well after lockdown.
Let’s get through this. We’ll see you on the other side.
If you want to get your business ready for life after lockdown, QEM Solutions provides contact-free consultancy, focused on getting you to ISO 9001 certification by October this year without needing to visit your premises. Click here to find out more.