COVID-19 has caused unprecedented disruption to many Small and Medium Businesses and large businesses across the world. In a bid to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus, many governments globally have mandated the practice of social distancing.
Because of this, remote working has become the new norm. While it might be easier for sizable businesses to weather the storm and adjust to the changed mode of working, Small and medium businesses are at the worse end of the curve — primarily due to the unpreparedness.
The world — and business — has never seen anything like the COVID-19 virus. Yet, we need not despair — it’s not too late for Small and medium businesses. You can not only survive — but thrive in such uncertain times. Here is a 3-step guide that is simple yet effective for Small and medium businesses to ensure business continuity.
1. Must Have Appropriate Infrastructure
Infrastructure is the first thing that leaders and managers need to address to get their employees ready. Likewise is the case for small and medium businesses. Given below are specific infrastructure requirements that must be put in place in specific situations:
Hard Infrastructure
Situation 1: Remote working already implemented
- Equitable and thorough distribution of work is necessary. Employees with access to laptops and mobile devices should not be unfairly overburdened with work.
- Employees with laptops must be able to dial into their organizations easily.
Situation 2: Remote working yet to be implemented
- Small and medium businesses must make sure that they provide functional laptops and mobile devices to employees who do not have their own.
Soft Infrastructure – Common to Situation 1 and 2
Technology has an indispensable role to play in the successful execution of remote working. Hence, based on the specific needs and requirements, all small and medium businesses must encourage the use of such tools.
- Artificial Intelligence (AI) meeting tools such as FreJun that enable teams to have effective conference calls and provide detailed meeting minutes.
- Messaging tools such as Slack.
- Project management tools like Asana to help achieve team outcomes.
- Apps such as Trello to help organize data.
Every small and medium businesses must understand that putting the infrastructure in place is just the first part. What is more important is preparing the employees to smartly and effectively use this infrastructure towards efficient delivery of end goals.
Read More: https://readwrite.com/2020/04/26/how-can-small-and-medium-businesses-smbs-thrive-in-uncertain-times/