7 Ways To Winter Proof Your Business
Winter can throw even the best of us off our game at times. Whether it’s huge snowfall that the weather forecast failed to predict or a rainstorm moving in from more tropical climates, there are all sorts of ways that your business can be impacted by the extreme weather that winter brings.
This is why it’s essential for you to have contingency plans for some of the adverse weather that may occur. Here are a few ways that you can help to winter proof your business.
Invest In The Right Tools And Equipment
Stock up on salt, grit, snow shovels and anything else that might come in useful on a snowy day. This way if a snowstorm hits during the workday you will be able to ensure that you and your employees can leave your office car park safely. Private car parks often won’t be on the gritting route for council grit and salt spreaders. Having all of this on hand is one of the best ways to ensure that you can continue to operate during snowy weather.
If your office is in an area prone to flooding, you may want to consider investing in sandbags and other ways to sure up your defences against floodwater. You could also ensure that your office entrance has mats to soak up excess water from people arriving at work.
Be Flexible
Allowing flexibility with working patterns can be very useful when there is bad weather forecast over the winter months. Working from home has already become far more prevalent thanks to the coronavirus pandemic. If you plan a return to the office after the pandemic has subsided, it may be a good idea to keep a work from home plan in place if your employees can’t get to work because of bad weather.
Engage The Services Of Professionals
Suppose your office is in a remote area or a far corner of an industrial estate. In that case, it may help engage professional gritting services to grit the roads and pavements around your business. This can help to reduce the risk of any accidents or falls that icy and snowy weather can cause. Using an expert company like Gritting Works to provide gritting services can be invaluable in ensuring that your business remains working well.
Have An E-Commerce Platform
If your business relies on customers coming to buy goods from you in person, bad weather can hugely impact your sales performance. It is a good idea to ensure that you have a fully functional e-commerce website so that your customers can still place orders when they need your services and products.
It would be best to ensure that your e-commerce website is simple and easy to use. You could also promote this by ensuring you have a substantial social media presence so that your customers know where they can find you even when they can’t come in person.
Have Health And Safety Policies In Place
If you have a lot of rain or snow, you should have some health and safety policies that specifically relate to ensuring safety inside and outside your office during bad weather. For example, you should ensure that you have ‘wet floor’ signs if you have an office with flooring that is slippery when wet. Ensure that all employees know where the mop is, so that wet spots are cleared up as soon as possible.
Insurance
Having insurance against adverse weather impacting your business could be helpful for any business owner. This kind of insurance can help protect you against business interruption that can be caused by adverse weather. This type of insurance generally covers your business when bad weather causes damage, which means you cannot operate as usual.
It would help if you shopped around to find the best policy to suit you and your business’s needs. Many types of insurance allow you to recoup losses in stock and help provide payroll and other expenses.
Maintain Your Office Building
If you own your office space, then it is critical that you maintain your office to ensure that it holds up against bad weather. You should ensure that your roofing is well maintained and have regular inspections. You should also keep the windows and door in good condition to ensure that you keep the building well-sealed and prevent any water damage. Proper insulation can also help to ensure that your building is warm and dry, making it a more productive place to work.
Conclusion
Winter weather can pose many risks to any business. From employees unable to get to work, customers unable to shop in person and the risk of water or other damage to your office building, there are many different eventualities that it is helpful to plan for. Fortunately, a combination of planning and preparation can mitigate many of the negative effects that adverse weather can do to a business.
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