How Businesses Have Shifted Focus to Survive the Global Pandemic

Who is going through pandemic fatigue and is no longer watching the news minute to minute, for fear of being pulled back into the negative narrative that is playing out all over the world? It’s safe to say we have accepted this as our reality for the foreseeable future, and many of us want to move forward and continue to succeed despite these barriers. You are not alone in this resolve, as many businesses have shifted the focus through this global pandemic and found a way to survive and thrive. If you’re ready for some good news and a plan forward, consider these ways you can shift the course of your business.

Seamless integration and automation

The businesses that aren’t down in the weeds of admin and other reporting duties are the businesses who have a clear line of sight to the market and opportunities that present themselves. As we have seen with this pandemic, change can come every day and every hour and if you don’t have those seamless integrations and automation working in your favour – you might be swallowed whole. So what do we mean by integrations and automation? It could be outsourced payroll in Sydney, time attendance tracking, chat boxes, email lead magnets and really anything that is going to remove the tasks from your desk and be automatically deployed. 

Reassess KPIs and job roles

What worked last year might seem ridiculous now, and so you can’t expect that your business proceeds with the same KPIs and job roles. Take some time off working in the business to work on the business, and identify what success looks like in this climate and reverse engineer your KPIs and job roles based on these insights. It’s been inspiring to see the way businesses have pivoted, with FMCG business development managers switching their role to be a delivery driver, and even head chefs jumping on social and teaching their online audience how to cook for themselves. You are truly only limited by your imagination so start thinking how you are going to deploy your amazing team into other areas of the business.

Seeking support and services

It’s been incredible to see so many airport services available to businesses who are doing it tough, as there is no shame in acting in the best interest of your employees and greater business goals. This can come in the form of government grants, free resources and even partnering with businesses who complement your own and can help you in some shortfalls you are experiencing. Another way you can receive and show support is to tap into your community and see how they are holding up and whether your business can provide any value. Community loyalty is worth its weight in gold, and if you are there for them now they will reciprocate that for you now and in the future going forward.

Essentials only

Global pandemics bring a new meaning to ‘agile’, with successful businesses able to identify what is essential to their success and doing away with anything else. Perhaps you have already transitioned to work from home and are considering dropping your office lease. Perhaps you can cancel your partnered employee perks (gym memberships, public transport) for the time being if they cannot be redeemed during this time. Even the weekly food and drink spend you allocate to the office or offsite entertainment can be put back into your bottom line and help with other pressing priorities. 

 

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When times get tough it is so easy to switch into comparison mode and compare your situation to other businesses – but there is a lot you don’t see and we are all making our way through these unprecedented times as best we can. Take stock of what is working and redesign a strategy that is going to see you through to the other end.