Bounce Back From The Covid 19 Pandemic

Back in March I cleared the office under threat of lockdown, I looked back to see an almost empty shell, then locked the door not knowing what things would be like if and when I returned. Would it be like walking back in on a normal Monday morning, I guess not.

Surely some things will change, after all we have just gone through and continue with the most unprecedented period in recent times. What will the new norm look like? I guess we will find out very soon.

Many businesses are still closed, many working from home and many furloughed with limited opportunity to function as we normally do, and unfortunately many have lost their jobs and regrettably and sadly, some of the business community will have also lost their lives to the COVID-19 virus.

Since the lockdown, we have all been on webinars, video conferences and virtual everything,

Since the lockdown, we have all been on webinars, video conferences and virtual everything, except the phone calls which to many have been a real saviour and glimpse of the old world and networks. I listened to the government ministers talking of the bounce back, Britain leading the world, “unlocking the potential” and “starting the engines of business for recovery”, leading the ‘Bounce Back’. Additionally, I have seen many businesses and individuals intensifying their social media activity and campaigns, some constructive and some not, but most with the same message.

What is the norm now? As a business community, no doubt we will have all sorts of caveats and strings to control how business starts back and what we must do in the long term to repay the debt we now owe both financially and morally. Preparation, resilience and robustness will be key to success post lockdown. Within the fulness of time if we have a similar scenario as we have seen with COVID-19 again (and it will), the government won’t be in a position to support the country like this again. Within reason, we as a business community must be resilient and able to withstand a future pressure test when it is thrust upon us.

So, time to strengthen business and financial processes! We need to take a holistic review of our businesses, ensuring that all of the processes are working in harmony, reviewing your business top to bottom and bottom to top.

Collaboration must be a major characteristic for the future

Quality, risk, environment, safety, information security, resilience, compliance, business continuity, financial stewardship and total sustainability will be key in post lockdown business success. Collaboration has been something that we have seen in abundance in the fight against COVID-19, this must be a major characteristic in the business community in support of gaining traction together, and together we will be able to withstand both external and internal pressures and possibly be in a position to take these skills out to the rest of the world.

Unlike the position the UK finds itself in today, we must lead the move to be self-sufficient and be a strong manufacturing country again. Continuing to offshore, based solely on a financial basis will only lead to the situation we find ourselves in today, and tomorrow, and the foreseeable future – at the mercy of fragile supply chains – unless we change our thinking.

We must become ‘doers’. Simply being professional writers, ‘likers’ and commentators won’t get us all going again.

Let’s get business going again, together in collaboration and doing things properly and with integrity, I’m sure there will be room for us all to get back and maybe even in a better position than when I closed the office for lockdown!

I’m putting together the next article which will focus on how business can embrace the approach mentioned above and build value into the holistic view. Follow us to get this soon as its published.