The COVID-19 pandemic has affected the world in different ways and has hit businesses especially harder. Many businesses have struggled to stay afloat, while others are closing left and right. During these tough times, businesses need to prepare to go up to another level to ensure their profit margins remain stable.
In Chinese, “crisis” is written as “危机” which means “danger” or “危” but it also means opportunity – “机”. Even the government has mentioned that workers should take the time to upgrade their skill set during the crisis, so why shouldn’t businesses grab hold of the opportunity to do the same? It’s important to know how to adapt during these changing times, so here are three ways in which your businesses can not only survive but THRIVE in times of crisis.
1. Improve workplace safety measures
Did you know that from 2 June 2020, businesses need to have a Safety Monitoring Plan in order to operate? However, most of them do not know how to improve on these safety measures besides making it a point for employees to wear masks and enforcing social distancing at the workplace. In reality, there are many more things to consider.
Here is a list of things you need to take note of before your company resumes operations.
- Appointment of a Safety Management Officer
- Reducing physical interaction and ensuring safe distancing at workplaces
- Contact Tracing support
- Employees are wearing the required Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and are observing good personal hygiene
- Ensuring workplace cleanliness
- Implementing health checks and protocol measures to manage potential cases
- Ensuring employees are aware of measures put in place
Under every one of these points, each company must have a Safety Management Officer (SMO) in the building. This person works to ensure everyone in the company is abiding by the rules set so that the business can operate safely in this pandemic. If you’re still unsure of how to implement a Safety Monitoring Plan for your business or if you have any questions, feel free to check in with one of our consultants or visit our website for more information.
2. Go green at the office
In today’s world, people are more concerned about environmental sustainability and climate change. They want to work in a place that has Mother Earth in mind. In fact, Forbes reported that more than 80% of people respected companies that go green or have green practices in place. More alarmingly, more than half of them that did the same survey boycotted the companies that had unsustainable practices. This means that you could be losing half of your potential customer base just because your company does not have proper environmental practices in place.
Going green can seem difficult in the beginning, but once you get into the swing of things, you will see improvements in your overall business in the long run. Here is a list of things you need to take note of when implementing green practices:
All the planning that you do to help improve the company’s eco-friendly practices will help your business achieve sustainability and effectiveness if you do put it into action. To prove that you have taken these steps, accreditation with ISO 14001 would help your business tremendously.
3. Improve the quality of your business
Any company in the world can claim they are the best. You see it every day with the “Top 10 lists” however, what sets a company apart and keeps them ahead of the game? It is their Quality Management System.
A Quality Management System helps your business set certain standards to comply with so that you can focus on meeting customer requirements and exceeding their expectations. This allows your business to be more effective and goal-oriented.
The four main steps of a Quality Management System are as follows:
All these steps and processes can be a little confusing for one business to handle. Many companies knowing that they need help would hire consultants to help them in planning out these improved standards and updated business processes. At the same time, they would work toward getting an ISO 9001 certification to gain a higher advantage against their competitors.
In conclusion, differentiating yourself from competitors can be a grueling task. The COVID-19 pandemic has not made it easier. However, as you take these steps to improve your business, QES Consultancy, is here to help guide you through that process, worry-free. For that liberating peace of mind, contact us at +65 8838 2583 or click on the link here to find out more.
