If I had a pound for every client with whom I’ve speculated about ‘what next’, I’d be sitting pretty comfortably right now. It is THE question on everyone’s lips. Like an almighty smoothie maker, where every fruit under the sun has been thrown in and NO ONE knows what it’s going to taste like when it comes out.

Our eyes have undoubtedly been opened to a new way of working and now, in spite of the rapid enforcement of lockdown, we are starting to see how working remotely could become a business opportunity, rather than a challenge.

Trawling the internet looking for statistics about productivity during this time, it is very clear that working remotely is not a one size fits all solution. Some people have flourished and embraced the extra hours in the day without a commute and the ability to exercise and work at times that suit them and their families. The nations’ gardens have never looked so good! People have reported feeling less stressed, and evidence leans towards increased productivity.

Of course, there is a flip side to this, with some finding they are less productive, feeling isolated or working longer hours.

It is the Global uncertainty, that has given us the opportunity to completely reshape the way we work.  NOW is the time to think big picture, make bold cost-cutting, profit-boosting and life-enhancing steps that we had previously thought impossible.

Who knows how long this situation will last, or if it will happen again and again. The pending financial crisis means nearly every business needs to be more agile and the question is how to successfully evolve and adapt to bolster resources, improve productivity and take care of the wellbeing of your team.

Since lockdown, I have talked to countless clients about how their businesses, of all sizes, can achieve this. Whilst there isn’t a one size fits all solution, the process remains the same.

Here is my 5 Step Approach to helping YOUR business evolve and adapt.

1.     CHANGE YOUR MINDSET

Can’t see the wood for the trees? Now is the time to be a disruptor and overhaul your entrepreneurial mindset.  You need to reach out, listen then evolve and adapt. Call on people you trust, in and out of your business, and gather their opinions to look critically at EVERY ASPECT. Consider pulling in your Business Advisor (for an overview), your HR Director (for impact on your people) or Accountant (for the cost implications). Blue-sky the future, with the aim of pulling the business apart and putting it together again.

2.     ANALYSE THE FACTS

Information is power. Gather your facts and undergo a thorough business analysis. Start with what you know, leaving no stone unturned take time to understand every detail and variable from printer hire, phone systems, connectivity, travel, personal expenses, time/ cost efficiency of client meetings and even employee benefits. Consider your employees work patterns, presenteeism, sickness costs and use of office space now and in the future.

3.     BE INQUISITIVE

Find out what you don’t know!  Putting out a Survey Monkey to clients will not only remind them about your services but will enable you to hear what they really think about your business so you can plug the gaps! Pick up the phone or survey your staff, see how they feel about the new way of working, their productivity and the future. 

4.     BE A SMOOTH OPERATOR

As a business grows it’s common to find you have overcomplicated and outdated systems in place. From recruitment to compliance and safety or payrolling, now is the time to look at these and invest in slicker smarter systems to save both time and money. For example, when someone no longer needs to spend 2 days a week doing payroll, what will that person do instead, can you upskill or retain? Also, recruitment procedures are often unnecessarily long, complicated and costly. Is there a system to help or a team member who could retrain to reduce employment agency costs?

5.     LOVE YOUR PEOPLE

Putting people at the centre of a business is proven to increase the bottom line. The cost of employee sickness and presenteeism can be a vast and often unnoticed expense. Employee assistance programs reduce sickness and increase productivity and loyalty. If cash is freed up from a reduction in outlay on office space what benefits could you pass onto your staff?

This 5 Step Approach could help your business become more agile and profitable, so it can ride the curve of the challenges ahead with happy, healthy and productive staff driving it forward.

I am certainly being kept busy from my home office.  I’m finding my clients openness to new ways of working and their ability to adapt creatively to the ongoing crisis so inspiring. Many of them have amazed me with their entrepreneurial resilience, passion for business and loyalty to staff. Have you found out anything new about your team since lockdown?