Three of the focuses of my blog are Current Events, Financial Literacy/Money and Business/Entrepreneurship. The Coronavirus/Covid-19 Crisis/Pandemic has put businesses in unprecedented challenges and stresses. As such it’s important to figure out how to survive our current conditions. The following contributed post is entitled, Here Are The Biggest Challenges Facing Businesses Right Now.
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Are you wondering how your business is going to cope in the ongoing storm that is the coronavirus pandemic? It’s true to say that businesses are facing a lot of challenges right now. Here are some of the issues that could be on the horizon for your company.
Remaining Profitable
Of course one of the most significant challenges that businesses are facing right now is simply being able to remain a certain level of profitability. This is going to be more difficult for certain businesses and industries than others. For instance, some are warning that the travel industry won’t return to normal for three years. That’s going to be a harsh reality and the sad truth is that a lot of businesses just won’t be able to survive for that long.
Other companies are coping better and have been able to put more focus on their online model. However certain companies have discovered the dangers of not having any form of an online presence. For instance, Primark bosses reported that they haven’t made a single sale since the pandemic began. That’s understandable because they don’t have an online sales platform. Customers have also abandoned certain sectors completely including businesses that sell luxury goods and services. This always occurs before a recession and we’re definitely headed in that direction.
Ensuring Customers Feel Safe
To get customers buying and visiting businesses they need to feel safe. Businesses will be responsible for ensuring that this is the case and there are numerous ways for them to do this. Take Disney as an example. Bob Iger has already suggested that they will use temperature checks at the park gates. However, it’s not quite understood how this would be logistically possible. The Mouse House has also suggested that park capacity would be significantly limited and disinfectant standards would be increased. Water Parks are unlikely to reopen at all for quite some time. However, Disney has no choice but to push ahead with its plans to restart their business model. They are bleeding right now with millions of dollars going down the drain every day.
Some businesses are facing a greater struggle. People are likely to return to the magical world of Disney. But 40% of customers reportedly won’t return to cinemas until there’s a vaccine. That’s an issue with chains hoping to reopen in time for Warner Bros. next big Hollywood blockbuster Tenet, in July as well as Disney’s Mulan.
Ultimately, even if certain businesses do reopen there’s no guarantee that customers are going to rush back to them.
Questions With Team Members
Right now, a lot of businesses are being supported by a furlough scheme. Ultimately, this means that they can benefit from the government paying the majority of the wages for employees. However, it’s fair to say that a scheme like this can’t continue to run indefinitely. Eventually, the governments of the world will leave businesses to essentially fend for themselves and float or sink. This presents an issue with team members. With the possibility of a lower demand level, particularly in an oncoming recession, businesses need to let a large number of team members go. Potentially the answer will be yes and this is also going to depend on social distancing regulations. A lot of businesses operate with teams in tight confinement. It could be necessary to cut back on numbers to ensure that they are able to social distance effectively.
Of course, this isn’t the only problem related to the workforce. It’s also likely that businesses are going to deal with a higher number of workers going off sick. While this might balance out and ensure that social distancing is possible, it could also leave key talent gaps for certain companies. Services like a construction labour supplier could help here and ensure that industries like this can gain the support that they might desperately need.
We hope this helps you understand some of the key challenges that your business could face in the future. It’s important to note that while these obstacles may seem impossible to deal with, most businesses have been effective at adapting.
For instance, many businesses have near seamlessly switched to a home business model. It would be worth exploring whether this option could suit your company. You might find that it will provide the best solution, allowing your company to remain profitable and keep team members socially distanced. The trick will be to ensure that quality levels also remain and there will undoubtedly be some growing pains to tackle at least at first.
