As retail, hospitality and all other business owners across the UK start to slowly reopen, their primary focus will be on ensuring a safe working environment not only for their employees, but for their customers too.
Depending on what industry you work in, guidance might not be in huge abundance, and you might not even know where to start. To help, we’ve put together a short list of things that we think are well worth keeping in mind if and when you decide to reopen your doors.
Organise your working environment for 2m social distancing
It’s almost impossible not to be fully aware of the 2m social distancing guidelines that have been set. It’s everywhere, and until the Government says otherwise, it looks like it’s here to stay for a while yet.
Offices and places of work where customers do not enter the premises might be a little easier; desks can be moved (if space allows!), screens can be installed and rooms can be separated and furniture moved, but what about businesses that do welcome customers?
If you run a business in the retail, hospitality or even sports industry, how do you ensure that not only you are safe, but that your customers are too? You could setup a one-way system within the premises to try and minimise confusion and to keep things flowing as smoothly as possible. Signage to clearly communicate to customers what to do and what to expect are vital.
Clean, clean and clean again!
Sanitisation and cleanliness will be paramount for the foreseeable future. Fortunately, here at Defend+, we provide a solution for the hospitality and retail industry in the form of our unique Fixed Hand Sanitiser and Dispenser Taps, which can be positioned underneath any bar or surface. Once in place, it provides a discreet, low level and hygienic solution for staff members to quickly and efficiently sanitise their hands and working environment.
If you run a business where you are frequently in different locations, we also offer a Portable Defend+ Dispensing System – perfect for fixing to fences, and perfect for sporting events!
Keep your staff informed about any changes
Your employees may well feel a little anxious about returning to work, and so it’s important to keep them fully informed about your decisions and changes to their place of work.
- Open a dialogue and keep them regularly updated on what they can expect returning to work
- Will you need to provide some training about the changes?
- Listen to their concerns and work with them to try and work out any issues early on
- Remember that its weird for all of us – nobody in our lifetime has had to do this before, so it is a big learning curve for everyone!
Communicate your changes to your customers too
As well as communicating the changes to staff, its equally as important to make sure that your customers are well informed and what they can expect when they next visit you.
If you have a company website, make sure this is fully up to date with all your latest information on COVID-19 measures. It’ll build confidence and reassure them that you are taking things seriously and that their safety is one of your primary concerns.
Social media (if you have it, if not why?!) is a fantastic way to reach your customers and to informally put out key pieces of information on any changes you plan to make.
Lastly, make it clear that you are there for them if they have any queries or concerns. After all, all businesses need their customers and we want everyone to feel comfortable and safe when visiting your business, whatever that may be.
If you have any queries about our products or would like to know more, please get in touch and we’d be happy to discuss how we at Defend+ can help make your business a safer place to be.
