So much time has passed since the coronavirus pandemic began. Thus, it’s easy to think of it as something that’s in the rearview mirror. This isn’t the case, and leaping to this assumption too early could be a damaging error to make. As with most things, it’s better to be safe than sorry.
Finding yourself in charge of a business puts you in a difficult position, however. Obviously, you want to ensure that you and your employees are safe. But, you still have to ensure that your business suffers as little as possible as a result. Those two objectives can often find themselves in opposition to each other. Fortunately, the technological advances surrounding the internet can provide solutions to these problems.
You can’t run your business completely by yourself, as much as sometimes it feels like you have to shoulder the entirety of that responsibility. Your employees are there to help you with each aspect of your operations and they represent a significant portion of your business. They’re crucial to its continuation and survival.
It’s important, therefore, that you recognize this and treat them as such. In the best of times, where the functions of your business aren’t interrupted by COVID-19, this might take forms such as simply checking in on them. Or, offering them valuable opportunities such as training when they’re available. While the former is certainly something that’s still important now. But, the way that you look after your staff might have to change in order to reflect the changing times.
At the onset of the pandemic, when large-scale adjustments had to be made in a very short span of time, there was a lot of uncertainty in the air. This was in relation to your business, but your employees were likely deeply affected as well. Especially if they thought the future of their jobs was brought into question. Depending on what impact you had as a business, you might have had to make some difficult decisions. Often, about who you can keep on board and who you may have had to cut loose, despite your best intentions. If this is a problem that continues to impact you even now, there are tools available online that might be able to help you.
Having access to these online tools makes it more realistic for you to consider keeping on your employees. It can also take a lot of stress off of your plate. You could possibly even get your old team back together later on. You can do some research online to learn about the Employee Retention Credit. This could be the best path available to you when it comes to securing your employees’ future at your company.
Of course, it’s best to not keep your staff in the dark about these kinds of decisions. Thus, it’s important that you communicate clearly with them and discuss options. This can make them feel as though have a say in their own careers. Fortunately, online tools have also made communication easier than ever. Which is one of the main solutions to the problems your business faces in functioning in the midst of social distancing.
The idea of working flexibly, or working from home, is one that has been the subject of intense discourse. Many people find themselves on various sides of the argument for a multitude of reasons. It’s an issue that affects different people in different ways. Thus it’s natural that some are going to feel more positively about it than others.
Many businesses adopted it out of necessity. However, they have now found that it has benefits for them beyond the pandemic. Thus, they opt to retain elements of it in the average workday going forward. You might be one of these, or you might have found that after trying it that you were faring much worse than you were before. This might be another situation where you have to examine how your employees feel.
While it might be much more convenient for you to have everyone working out of the office. Consider allowing some sort of flexible working conditions. This could mean that your employees are much happier in their careers with you. It ensures they don’t start looking for other jobs where the working conditions suit them better.
As it stands, it’s become another competitive angle that people will look for and compare when they’re searching for a job. While this might cause you some frustration, it’s important to recognize what you can’t change. Instead, go with the shifting tides and sense the value in opportunity. Maybe the reason that working from home hasn’t been a method that’s clicked with you yet is that you haven’t found sufficient elements that can make it as efficient as possible.
Online tools can help you here. Things such as file-sharing over cloud networks and ample communication software such as Zoom have made working together across large distances much easier. The former can help your staff to properly collaborate on documents while still enjoying the perks of their home environment. Whereas the latter can supply on-the-fly meetings that easily fit within everybody’s schedule.
By integrating these online tools into your workday, you can see how your business can function somewhat normally even in times of intense disruption. Even if you would rather everyone come into the office, knowing that you have measures in place to provide a solution can prepare you. It’s natural to be resistant to change. But sometimes it’s not as negative of a thing as it first appears. Stop long enough to weigh up both the positives and negatives of a situation. This can help you make decisions about your future with more clarity.
In addition, you can enhance your team’s collaboration using secure file transfer solutions. Safeguard your business data through stringent encryption, preventing open transmission of passwords and other sensitive data over the network. This can also secure business communication to protect data exchange and maintain smooth day-to-day operations with remote work setting. You can maintain a good business reputation using secure file transfer as shown at https://www.globalscape.com/solutions/secure-file-transfer.
This is not something that you necessarily discovered thanks to the pandemic. But, being aware of the means you have to continue your work as normal even while not in the office can open your eyes to possibilities. A good example of this is marketing. You really see how much of it takes place through various online channels.
Social media is a prime example of this. It can be accessed, not only in various locations through work devices such as laptops but even on phones. So, if your business is one that sees you and your staff traveling to various locations for whatever reason, you can still conduct your marketing campaigns. All while on the move, simply by logging in on your phone or laptop.
If you’re someone who uses social media marketing without properly delving into it in order to see what it has to offer. This is a golden opportunity for you to dive in. Maybe you consider other marketing methods to be more effective and therefore more worthy of your time. However, you don’t have to compromise. You can run multiple marketing campaigns at once. Luckily though, social media marketing has a plethora of benefits. It’s worth digging into what those are and ensuring that you’re keeping on top of it.
Social media gives you access to a huge audience at a low cost. Plus, the socially limiting aspects of the pandemic mean there are more people spending time on social media. This means that the content you’re putting on these platforms can be even more visible. Thus, drawing attention to your services and giving your brand an opportunity to flourish. This is a time when any advantage is something to take advantage of.
You can also work with micro-influencers to endorse or promote your business to their followers. By doing so, you can gain a good customer base and brand traction on social media.
This increasing online usage on the side of the public also means that this could be a time for you and your team to get experimental with your online marketing. A good place to start with this is by examining your website. Ensure that it’s up to date and properly polished. It should be in a state where new customers who come to your website are going to have a good first impression of your brand. Some online research could help you to determine what the best direction would be for your website. If nobody in your team has web design skills, this could be a good opportunity to fit in some training for your team. This downtime presents you with a chance to get your staff qualified. Something that could benefit both your business and your employees.
The online marketing tactics you can use for your business during the pandemic include the following:
Additionally, consider completing training online. This enables you to get even further use out of the online tools at your disposal. This would allow your employees to complete this training in a flexible manner that can best suit them, perhaps helping them to develop a more positive attitude towards it and complete it in a way that they can work around their careers with you.
