How to Prepare for Another WFH Quarter

 

2020 has been a year filled with personal and professional challenges. To promote social distancing, many companies have gone to a work from home (WFH) model. The longer employees complete tasks from the comfort of their homes, the more likely it is they’ll want to continue for the foreseeable future.

According to Stanford economic researcher Nicholas Bloom, 42% of Americans now work from home, with only 26% working in essential positions and service jobs. There are also many still unemployed due to lockdowns and the subsequent recession.

Bloom points out that there are both positives and negatives with a WFH-centric economy. As we near the one-year mark of being on a pandemic shutdown, here are some ways you can prepare for another quarter of remote work for your business and employees.

1. Audit Your Expenses

Although the first coronavirus vaccines have arrived in some areas of the country, it may be many months before everyone gets an injection and life returns somewhat to normal. It’s also possible that another virus or threat arrives at the tail end of COVID-19, throwing the country into a longer social distancing period.

Now is a great time to look ahead and decide if you want some roles to continue in remote work even after the threat eases. If so, you may be able to reduce some of your expenses. Do you need such a large office space if you have half the workers in the building?

2. Offer Better Security

One concern many people working from home have is how to keep their network secure. They don’t have an IT department in their home as they have in an office building. They may worry about accidentally spilling company secrets or someone getting on their private network and tapping into their personal computers and smart speakers.

Research shows that about 50% of all remote workers fear security threats in a new setting. Tactics such as multi-factor authentication, single sign-on, and biometrics help ease these worries.

3. Encourage Communication

There are pros and cons to not having someone in the same building as you. One big drawback is that you can’t talk to them anytime you want without picking up a phone or initiating an online meeting. One significant advantage is that you can’t distract your workers by constantly popping into their office for a chat.

How do you encourage communication without taking valuable productivity time away? You can host stand-up meetings via Zoom to start each day. Each person gives a quick update on where they’re at, and you offer some words of inspiration. These meetings should be short and to the point.

You should also have an open-door policy where your remote workers can text, instant message, or email you throughout the day. Make responding a priority, even if you have to assign one person to chat with employees and help with issues.

4. Utilize Third-Party Project Management

Using third-party project management tools keeps all your employees on the same page. Cloud-based solutions update in real-time. So, if your graphic artist logs in, she can see if there are notes on her phase of the project and implement them, thereby avoiding wasted time and effort.

Sites such as Trello, Basecamp, and Asana help everyone stay on track. See at a glance where you are on a project. It’s one of the best ways for people from different locations to work together without confusion. You can even loop in a client to approve a graphic or mockup.

5. Onboard Everyone

Many of your employees may have been thrown into the role of a remote worker when they never planned to work from home. Their initial training was likely in-person through the human resources department. Now, they face a situation where they may not feel fully equipped to finish tasks independently.

The Human Capital Institute conducted their 2020 Talent Pulse Priorities survey with 462 human resources leaders. They found the biggest priority is retaining high performers. The best way to ensure engagement is excellent and applicable onboarding.

Your onboarding process must look different for remote work. Go through some basic concepts with everyone, such as securing their computers, protecting passwords, and what a nondisclosure agreement really means.

6. Improve Time Management Skills

One of the biggest challenges your employees face is time management. For many working parents, their children are home and may even be doing e-learning at the moment. Juggling family responsibilities and work is challenging.

You can help them navigate this time by allowing for some flexibility in the schedule. Let them start the day early before the kids wake up. Give them longer breaks so they can ensure their children sign on to meet with their teachers. Allow them to work later into the evening.

You can encourage higher productivity and loyalty if you provide flexible scheduling. This only works for some types of positions, though. A salesperson must call prospects when they’re most likely to answer the phone, for example. However, someone working on a graphic for a new website design can do the work at any time, as long as they meet deadlines.

Ask for Input

Going from an in-person office setting to a remote environment presents unique challenges. Be open to ideas from your workers. Ask for input on how to improve every process. They deal with co-workers and clients daily. They can see where any wasted time goes and pinpoint a better method to complete tasks on time.

The more you give your staff ownership of projects, the more likely it is they’ll develop brilliant ideas. Anything that improves productivity and team morale is a positive change for your brand, especially when everyone works from home.

Lexie is a digital nomad and graphic designer. If she’s not traveling to various parts of the country, you can find her at the local flea markets or hiking with her Goldendoodle. Check out her design blog, Design Roast, and connect with her on Twitter @lexieludesigner.

Content is originally posted at https://www.pxmediainc.com/how-to-prepare-for-another-wfh-quarter/

How to Protect Your Startup During COVID-19

 

2020 is coming to an end. However, for small businesses and startups, this year’s struggles aren’t over quite yet.

While the end of the pandemic may be in sight, with several effective vaccines on the way, vaccine distribution will likely take months. A real economic recovery may not start until sometime around the middle of 2021.

That means there will still be a few challenging months ahead for small business and startup owners looking to weather the crisis.

These nine tips will help any startup stay afloat during the last few months of COVID-19 — and prepare you for businesses during the recovery to come.

1. Find New Opportunities for Business Growth

During the novel coronavirus pandemic, successful businesses have found ways to offer new, safer services. Gyms that offer outdoor exercise classes, outdoor seating for restaurants, and contactless pickup, for example, are three well-known examples of businesses innovating to stay afloat.

Local business partnerships may also be a possibility. Depending on what niche you’re in, you may find other local business owners who are happy to partner on product campaigns or offer services you can’t provide alone.

2. Don’t Skimp on Advertising Spend

Amid a crisis, it can be tempting to cut back the marketing budget.

However, it’s generally better to optimize your advertising spend before trying to make cuts. Take stock of existing ad campaigns and use ad data to launch new campaigns and cut the ones that aren’t working to help you get more out of your current ad spending.

New campaigns adapted to your audience’s needs and preferences during COVID-19 can also help. Collecting additional data, tweaking targeting settings, changing keywords, or adopting new, potentially low-cost advertising approaches — like content marketing — may also be successful.

3. Don’t Leave Existing Customers Behind

According to data from Adobe, purchases from just 8% of shoppers account for 41% of e-commerce revenue. While it’s crucial to pursue new audiences and grow your business when you can, cash for advertising may be tight right now.

When planning your ad strategy, don’t forget about your existing customers — be sure to include campaigns that target current clients and encourage them to keep shopping with your brand.

4. Prepare Your Business’ Digital Defenses

Small businesses are dealing with a growing number of cyberattacks aimed at stealing their data and gaining access to company networks. While larger businesses remain more popular targets, about 28% of all data breaches in 2020 targeted small businesses, instead.

Taking stock of the information you hold on to can make your business easier to secure. Research on retention policies shows that about 70% of the data a business holds on to has no real value or useful information.

Releasing this extra data can help simplify your data management, smoothing the path for you to defend the essential things — and, potentially, saving you some money on data storage.

5. Take Advantage of Government Funding for Businesses

The CARES act provided some substantial relief for small businesses. However, you may have already applied for and received this aid.

At the time of this article’s writing, the government is debating the specifics of a new economic stimulus. Details about the finished bill aren’t available yet, but it’s likely to include individual stimulus checks and additional support for small businesses.

Expanded SBA resources like Paycheck Protection Program loans may be able to help. You may want to stay on top of the news and prepare to apply for any government support programs your startup can qualify for.

In the meantime, other sources of government funding — like the USDA’s Rural Development Grant — may also be a major help for some startups and small businesses.

6. Learn About Local Financial Support

In addition to federal government relief, your startup may also qualify for local relief programs. According to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, at least 24 states plus Washington, D.C., offer some kind of relief program for small businesses.

If you find your state on the list of those offering support, you may be able to apply for loans or other stimuli that can keep your business afloat during the next few months.

7. Look to Private Organizations for Support

Some private organizations are also offering support for organizations during COVID-19. FedEx, for example, offers an annual small business grant. The National Association for the Self-Employed also offers grants for self-employed people who need some extra assistance with their small business or work.

8. Remain Flexible

One advantage that small businesses have over larger corporations is their flexibility — it’s possible for a business with fewer staff members to coordinate and fewer resources to manage to rapidly pivot or change how they do business.

Right now, that flexibility is probably the most valuable asset. Customer needs and opportunities are constantly shifting. Businesses of all kinds are dealing with new problems as they arise — like supply chain disruptions or issues with the U.S. Postal Service.

Identifying new ideas to serve your customers — like pickup options or outdoor versions of indoor services — is one of the best ways to keep revenue up during the pandemic. These new offerings may also provide you a competitive advantage long after the pandemic finally ends.

9. Prepare for After the Crisis Is Over

Sudden fluctuations in demand — positive or negative — can be challenging for any business to manage. If your startup is managing a mostly steady revenue and has a loyal customer base, you may want to start looking at how you’ll prepare for the coming economic recovery.

Where possible, you can stock up on supplies or make changes that will help you manage a possible increase in demand once consumer spending starts to return to more typical levels.

Staying Afloat During the Last Months of the Pandemic

The end of the pandemic is in sight, but we aren’t there quite yet. For businesses that need some extra help during these last few months of the pandemic, there are a few strategies and resources that may be helpful.

Government and private grants, for example, have been essential through the pandemic, and another round of federal support may be on the way.

Adopting new strategies, optimizing advertising spending, and creating new offerings may also help you reduce costs and generate more revenue while demand remains low.

Eleanor Hecks is editor-in-chief at Designerly Magazine. Eleanor was the creative  director and occasional blog writer at a prominent digital marketing agency before becoming her own boss in 2018. She lives in Philadelphia with her husband and dog, Bear.

Content is originally posted at https://www.pxmediainc.com/how-to-protect-your-startup-during-covid-19/