If the “C” word is making you do this – STOP!
As a business owner that deals with a large number of other business owners on a daily basis, it goes without saying that the last 18 months has been incredibly tough, with difficult decisions regularly having to be made every step of the way.
And all because of the dreaded “C” word…
Businesses have had to quickly adapt to the changes the pandemic has caused and also effectively learn a completely new language, with terms such as furlough, self-isolation, social distancing and quarantine now being an intrinsic part of our day to day lives.
In addition to this, being stuck in an incessant loop of lockdown “hokey-cokey” and relentless changes to government guidance have left many business owners physically, mentally and not forgetting, financially drained, not knowing which way to turn.
I have witnessed first-hand that as a result of all of the above factors and the continuing business climate, a large number of employers are taking, what I affectionately refer to, as “the ostrich”, otherwise known as “burying their heads in the sand”.
Of course, this is an entirely normal part of human nature, and I myself have felt, at times, that I have simply been treading water over the last few months, waiting and longing to eventually “come out of the other side”.
We are fast approaching the closure of the furlough scheme in 2 months’ time, upon which all financial support for employing individuals will be withdrawn, and businesses will need to consider whether they can afford to continue employing all of their staff, or whether they will need to make redundancies. Similarly, with the imminent removal of all COVID-linked restrictions, employers need to be prepared to welcome staff back to the workplace and deal with any requests from employees who wish to continue working from home on a permanent basis.
If businesses want to survive the next few months and beyond, it is vital that business owners start taking their heads out of the sand and regain a firm control over their businesses.
