The COVID-19 pandemic is an unprecedented occurrence that has had. It will continue to have a far-reaching impact on all our lives, whether we are homemakers or employees or business leaders. The swiftness with which the virus is spreading makes it equally important for us to be quick and efficient in adapting ourselves to the changing circumstances. Only then can we ensure that we beat the disease.

Small and big businesses have felt the impact of these changes at the same time, and countries and companies are struggling even to understand how to handle the situation without suffering huge losses and having to cut back on expenses – and consequently jobs as well.

So let’s take a look at how we can make the first few steps, which will help us keep our organization on its feet and ensure optimum productivity even in this crisis.

Here are five tips on how we can do just that:

• Firstly we need to act now. We cannot wait to implement the first step because things are changing daily at a tremendous pace. The speed of our action will dictate whether our business survives or succumbs in short to medium term. So in the next 24 hours, we need to sit back and try to figure out where we stand. What are the resources in hand, and how well can we manage them in this situation. Find out how upgraded you are in terms of technology, and how soon you can increase or decrease your business operations to match the changes in the market.

• In the next couple of days, figure out how you can use the existing infrastructure, the current workforce, and other resources that are available to you to optimize your business. Cut down on costs, and try to increase productivity to the maximum. All unnecessary expenses should be curtailed, and you can ask your employees to work in a more disciplined manner to increase output. Take suggestions from them if necessary.

• After that, in another two days, get all your management teams together and ask them to device a new plan to ensure smooth communication with their teams. With everyone suddenly working from home, this is very important for stable operations. Help employees to adapt to new technologies and software which may be required to interact with each other. Lay down guidelines for internal meetings, and employee-to-employee communications as well.

• Within the next week, find out how you will upgrade your technology to the circumstances. Maybe your employees need better laptops, and better internet connections, so make provision for this and ensure it is quickly executed. With everyone working from home, you may need extra online security, so invest in anti-virus software or build firewalls.

• Implement your plans by the end of this period. Hire an expert if you think you can’t handle it. Don’t hesitate if there is a cost. Try to reduce other expenses to take care of the added value. Upgrade computers, modernize your workplace and guide your employees if they need to learn new skills to implement their jobs more efficiently.

Thank you for reading this post, should you have any suggestions or feedback, please feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below.