At a time when many companies are working remotely, operating at limited capacity, or shut down completely. Despite these setbacks, there are ways to make the most of the current circumstances and continue growing your business during the COVID-19 pandemic. Most importantly we can take this opportunity to highlight our lesson and prepare for any future pandemic.

So here are six smart ways your company can prepare for any future pandemic.

1. Have a Crisis Plan

If there ever is a pandemic and you have even just a few employees, you're going to want to put into place some sort of crisis plan. This will probably involve getting supplies and setting up emergency procedures such as issuing limited-use bank cards and closing/locking the front entrance (if not barred.)
 

2. Prepare Some Archive Data

Of course, if you don't have an archival system in place for this data, it could be a losing battle when all of your information is gone. If you're storing data in paper files or on thumb drives, make sure the backups are up to date and stored somewhere secure.
 

3. Develop Systems to Track Employeesasset_43_-_copy.png

If a pandemic hits, you want to be able to track the people in your organization so that you know who may have been exposed. In the case of small businesses, there may not even be a central staff to track and keep records on everyone - but making notes on employees' whereabouts and health is important. And of course, don't forget about yourself. If you're out sick for a week or more, is anyone going to know?

4. Acquire New Customers

While it may seem crazy to be thinking about growing your business when disaster could strike at any moment, there are still opportunities to grow - and if you're prepped for a pandemic, you'll be in a much better position to take advantage of them. While most companies will be trying to curtail expenses and avoid making new hires, your chances of making a sale increase during tough times.

5. Update your insurance package

This one's probably obvious, but if you've been trying to get your company's insurance package completed for a while, it may be wise to bring it up to date and keep up with the changes.

6. Become a Leader

If your company is small, you're probably the face of it, and will have a lot more responsibility to meet than someone with 100 employees. When things get bad, you won't want to be that one person making all the decisions - choose wisely who you allow to make major decisions for your company.

remember…

While another pandemic may be an extreme case, it's always better to be prepared than sorry. Make plans, practice them, and update your systems as needed. And whatever you do, don't wait for disaster to strike before you start working on these strategies - they're good for your company in any tough economic climate.
 

How can RSM help you?

If you require further information, please contact your local RSM adviser today.