Recently, the Mayor in Colleyville,TX issued an order lifting restrictions for restaurants to serve diners on their outside patios. One day later, patrons flocked to local restaurants for a much anticipated opportunity to dine out. The restaurant owners that quickly mobilized were able to capitalize on a society “hungry” to do business outside of the house. Freddy’s CEO and founder, Scott Redler has already created the flagship social distancing restaurant model, in Wichita, KS to serve as a best practice for when the 380 Freddy’s restaurants across the US will be allowed to reopen. I prepared a checklist to help you proactively start the preparation to reopen your business today.
- Stay mission minded. Do not forget why you started your business and who you serve. Let your purpose drive you as you prepare to reopen your business. Never lose sight of your “why”. Microsoft CEO, Satya Nadella said it best, “It is in times of greatest disruption and uncertainty that our ability to stay grounded in our sense of purpose and remain true to our identity is of utmost importance.”
Purchase adequate supplies and PPE. From face masks, plexiglass, gloves, sanitizer, thermometers, toilet paper, paper towels or hand soap, do not let something like a toilet paper shortage keep you from capitalizing on a reopen strategy. Plan ahead so you have all of the proper PPE and supplies to keep employees and customers safe. Redler said,- Get your facilities ready. Conduct a walk around of your facilities and ask yourself, are desks or tables adequately social distanced? Can plexiglass shields be added to keep our cashiers and customers safe? Do I need to reposition my showroom or rethink ways to safely serve my employees and customers?
- Communicate with employees now. Staying in contact with employees will help you know who is ready and available to come back to work immediately. Create a list of employees planning to return to work and identify how you can help reduce possible issues that might prevent other employees from returning to work.
- Reevaluate policies and procedures. Several employment laws have changed as a result of the pandemic, get to know these changes and incorporate them immediately. Ask the question, what behavior does our existing sick leave policy drive, do we really want employees coming to work sick? Balance looseness with tightness and create a framework that empowers employees to do what needs to be done.
- Take a closer look at shifts and schedules. If remote work is working for a specific work group, keep employees remote. Review shifts and schedules, consider spreading out the workflow in order to create space between employees and work groups.
- Be prepared for a pandemic. I know that sounds cliché however, it is vital to reflect on lessons learned from the first pandemic and be prepared for a second wave. I am thankful my friend encouraged me to prepare for a “germicane” in early March. Manage with an asset light model, have cash on hand, have a mobilization plan for services and prepare your team now. The speed of the leader, determines the speed of the pack.
The time to prepare is NOW, will your business be ready? For more information on reopening, national speaker and business coach, Jim Roman wrote a sequel to to this article, Are You Ready to Reopen?, the article will give you more insight on reopening the right way, right away!
