With COVID-19 still a major cause for concern for us all, not to mention plunging temperatures on the way, we’ve rounded up some top tips for businesses to turn to this winter. Here’s how to keep your customers – and your staff – safe in the last few months of 2020. Also known as The Strangest Year Ever.
Invest in outdoor shelters
As the cold weather hits and COVID-related outdoor queuing is still very much a reality, you might want to consider the addition of a covered outdoor shelter or walkway. It’ll provide some much-needed protection from the rain, snow or wind, and your customers will love you for it. The same goes for any staff smoking areas – invest in a covered shelter for this purpose and keep your employees dry and happy!
Keep your COVID safety measures stringent
With the latest announcements about curfews and the Rule of 6, and regional lockdowns in place in areas across the UK, now’s not the time to relax when it comes to Coronavirus. This pandemic has completely changed our personal and professional lives, and it’s time to adjust to this new reality. So, ask yourself – are your sanitising stations still topped up and readily available? Is regular cleaning still a priority for your staff? Are your social distancing measures still clear to follow? For example, do your floor stickers need replacing? Keep your customers and employees safe by keeping your finger firmly on the button. For the latest advice on your particular industry, check out the gov.uk site.
Update your signage
As we enter a new season and worries like icy car parks and strong gusts of wind are on the horizon, now’s a really good time to be doing an audit of your signage. We’re talking about clearly labelling unauthorised areas, signalling no parking in 24-hour access entryways, and keeping up-to-date fire safety messages – all of which are crucial for your keeping customers safe.
Don’t neglect policies or procedures
When we talk about work procedures and work policies, we’re referring to lots of different processes, such as those that fall into the health and safety bracket, or general admin tasks that keep things ticking over day to day. While some may consider paperwork, filling in records or ticking certain boxes slightly tedious, these tasks are really important to keep order and safety within a company. Ensuring that your team members are fully aware of these kinds of policies and procedures is crucial, as is providing a point of reference that’s quick and easy to access if an individual doesn’t know the required actions needed off the top of their head. You might list these on a company app or intranet site, for example, or have a handbook located in a staff room. This isn’t an exhaustive list, but here are a few examples of the kind of procedures you might want to think about in the workplace…
- Risk assessments
- First Aid
- Visitor logging
- Security passes (employees and visitors)
- Name badges
- IT issues escalation
- Fire plans (see more on this below)
- Equipment failure
- Recycling and waste
- Use of social media channels
- Code of conduct
- Smoking policy
- Grievance handling
- Dealing with discrimination and harassment
- Mobile phone usage
- Recruitment
- Internet and email usage
Practice crime prevention techniques
There’s all sorts you can do to protect your customers and staff from criminals. CCTV and monitored alarms should be fully operational and regularly checked. Ensure the area around your property is well-lit, and keep these spaces free of litter and graffiti – which can attract undesirables. Service doors should be kept locked when not in use, and keep cash off of the property where possible. Also, think about new team members – would a security guard be beneficial, for example?
Protect your customer data
It’s not just real-life environments that you need to think about. In this day and age, you need to protect your customers from digital threats, as well. Having a clear and detailed IT security strategy is a must – no matter the size of your business. You’ll need to explore the different firewalls, security software and anti-spam software that’s right for your business, and do your research when it comes to keeping your wifi connections safe via encryption settings. Finally, ensure your employees are doing their bit, with passwords that are complex and strong. John123! might be easy to remember, but it’s just no match for these clever cyber criminals.
Establish an effective Crisis Management Strategy
In an emergency situation – any kind of emergency situation – knowing who should be doing what and when can literally save lives. This is where your Crisis Management Strategy comes in. Usually, it’ll involve lots of different people at different levels in the company, including senior staff, administrative heads and the PR department. Essentially, a Crisis Management Strategy is a detailed and clear plan that lays out nominated individuals and their responsibilities in a crisis, and will often span lots of hypothetical situations, such as a bomb threat, fire or a criminal ambush.