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Topic starter
May 22, 2020 11:50 am
How To Assess Your Business’s Readiness To Reopen Amidst COVID-19
The spread of COVID-19 represents a perfect storm for business disruption, combining a rapidly evolving global threat, an uneven recovery, disparate government regulations and shaken supply chains. The complexity of operating a company during this tumultuous time is unprecedented and the stakes are astronomically high.
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Following the initial lockdowns and travel restrictions, a few countries like https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/11/health/european-countries-reopening-coronavirus-intl/index.htm l" aria-label="Germany, Denmark and the Czech Republic">Germany, Denmark and the Czech Republic have begun to reopen certain types businesses. Stateside, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has issued https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/critical-workers/implementing-safety-practices.htm l" aria-label="interim guidance">interim guidance for critical infrastructure workers, and some governors including California Gov. Gavin Newsom have issued a https://www.cnbc.com/2020/04/14/california-gov-gavin-newsom-unveils-guide-to-lifting-coronavirus-restrictions.htm l" aria-label="guide for lifting COVID-19 restrictions">guide for lifting COVID-19 restrictions.
While a full recovery remains out of reach for the foreseeable future, it is imperative for executives to https://www.cvent.com/c/express/031914de-498b-4688-9783-9f2c934f5e61?refid=forbes-sponsored-content&utm_source=forbes&utm_medium=sponsored-content&utm_campaign=2020-q2-virtual-event-coronavirus-symposiu m" aria-label="develop their reopening strategy now">develop their reopening strategy now, implement solutions to support employees’ eventual return to work and prepare to recover their operations, so they are ready when the time comes.
No matter how this next phase of the pandemic plays out, until the world has access to a vaccine, companies must navigate constantly shifting threats and continuously communicate with the right employees at the right time to keep them safe.
Here is a checklist of the 5 most important things businesses must be able to do in order to return to work:
1. Track and comply with evolving government and healthcare protocols – Protocols vary dramatically from one region or country to the next, as COVID-19 cases ebb and flow over time. For example, some https://www.cbsnews.com/news/coronavirus-china-asia-countries-resurgence /" aria-label="Asian countries">Asian countries that successfully flattened the disease curve are now bracing for a second spike in COVID-19 cases that may require a new round of lockdowns. Keeping track of these constant shifts in regulations and complying with them is crucial for any return-to-work plan.
2. Help keep employees safe – As we move into the next phase of the pandemic, companies will need to help keep employees safe by monitoring their level of risk by location, including their proximity to COVID-19 outbreaks and whether or not they had previously traveled to any such “hot zones.” Companies also need to be able to poll these employees to check their status, such as if they have met relevant government criteria to reopen for business.
3. Analyze the threat of new outbreaks – Businesses must be able to dynamically analyze threat levels around the world and monitor for any new outbreaks that could pose a threat to employees, customers or supply chains. To be effective, they will need to know in real time if an outbreak could impact the people and infrastructure they care about and react quickly.
4. Maintain the integrity of their supply chain – To date, COVID-19 has caused numerous disruptions to supply chains that businesses and consumers depend on. One of the most troubling is the recent shock to the https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/13/business/coronavirus-food-supply.htm l" aria-label="U.S. food supply chain">U.S. food supply chain, but many more are in jeopardy too. A business cannot operate successfully without knowing when supply chains are at risk, make alternative plans as needed and keep supplies moving on time.
5. Audit their processes to maintain compliance – Even if companies do all these things well, there is another major challenge our “new normal” presents: the need for comprehensive auditing to ensure compliance with government protocols. Auditing is critical, and yet without an automated way to do it, the task can be tremendously time consuming and especially difficult when considering the complexity of the rapidly evolving pandemic.
Fortunately, businesses are not alone. Critical Event Management (CEM) technology exists today that can help companies automate and manage each of these efforts, including tracking threats, responding to them, communicating with employees and analyzing the actions they have taken to continually improve.
To learn more about how my team at Everbridge helps companies solve for these challenges, please visit our https://www.everbridge.com/coronavirus-preparedness/?utm_source=forbes&utm_medium=sponsored-content&utm_campaign=2020-q2-forbes-brand-voice-flight- 3" aria-label="Coronavirus Preparedness Digital Hub">Coronavirus Preparedness Digital Hub with an interactive map showing the most recent alerts around the world, running frequent webinars with experts on managing pandemics, providing a Coronavirus Preparedness Kit with best practices, and publishing a blog series on new developments with the virus.
Ajay Nigam is chief product officer of https://www.everbridge.com/?utm_source=forbes&utm_medium=sponsored-content&utm_campaign=2020-q2-forbes-brand-voice-flight- 3" aria-label="Everbridge">https://www.everbridge.com/?utm_source=forbes&utm_medium=sponsored-content&utm_campaign=2020-q2-forbes-brand-voice-flight- 3">Everbridge, the global leader in https://www.everbridge.com/platform/critical-event-management/?utm_source=forbes&utm_medium=sponsored-content&utm_campaign=2020-q2-forbes-brand-voice-flight- 3" aria-label="critical event management">https://www.everbridge.com/platform/critical-event-management/?utm_source=forbes&utm_medium=sponsored-content&utm_campaign=2020-q2-forbes-brand-voice-flight- 3">critical event management (https://www.everbridge.com/platform/critical-event-management /" aria-label="CEM">https://www.everbridge.com/platform/critical-event-management /">CEM), overseeing the company’s global product development. He is an accomplished executive with proven expertise in P&L management and accelerating growth while balancing strategic and tactical goals. Prior to joining Everbridge in January 2020, Nigam held senior leadership roles at Symantec, ID Analytics, BrightPoint Security (Acquired by ServiceNow) and CipherCloud, Inc.
Topic starter
May 22, 2020 12:05 pm
Even though businesses need to be open precautions need to be in place. Some are enough supplies for disinfection, and PPE. This will be different for types of businesses. As I said in another article this is an unseen enemy.
People no matter what their job still need assurances it is safe that right now are mixed messages. It can't be helped since all types of people are expressing their best ideas on safety in the workplace.
Every state has different needs and guidelines.No matter what the outcome vigilance must be taken for each industry
May 22, 2020 2:24 pm
I think this is especially important for close contact businesses. This soft opening is only going to be successful if we are taking the proper sanitation precautions. I do feel well informed due to this being the first thing we learned about in class.
May 22, 2020 5:43 pm
I think as long as businesses are doing the proper sanitation and disinfection them being opened should go smoothly and obviously try to limit the amount of people coming in at once etc. I know grocery stores and most stores that have carts or baskets are being disinfected after each use. Things like that do make a difference. The only issue I have been seeing is the restaurants are doing outdoor seating which the Gov said was allowed for phase 1 the only issue I see that certain people may have complaints about is the amount of people being seated at once and they are not being distanced enough from other guests. My boyfriend and I were driving around the ocean front in virginia beach and the amount of people that were seated outside was astranomical. It was packed insanely. And the seating even overflowed into the parking lot not to mention the lines to be seated were crowded and long as well.
August 15, 2022 5:20 pm
We are almost 3 years out from when this originally happened and its crazy looking back at what has happened since. Still to this day i know business arent operating at full capacity as they once were.
August 15, 2022 5:29 pm
I think covid has genuinely opened peoples eyes about how unsafe and unhygenic we were living before the pandemic.
Topic starter
August 16, 2022 12:52 pm
Oh your so tight. Some businesses only do the minimum cleaning. Even having a disinfectant is rare with some businesses. I am surprised that the level of cleaning has not improved in some businesses.
