As an SME who has put in place a range of survival mechanisms for the business, and it’s employees where possible, it is now time to assess the effectiveness of the drastic changes now in place.

A set of fundamental considerations follows, many of which I’ve had to consider myself when managing businesses during the GFC in 2008 in Tokyo, and then the post-Fukushima tsunami and nuclear disaster in 2011.

• Who are the staff members working from home?  These members still need leadership and clear direction.  Communicating with them with a regular cadence in their remote locations is even more critical than before, both related to business operations and decision-making, and checking on their well-being.

• Does everyone have an adequate laptop, phone and internet access so that work can continue remotely?  Keep on top of the technology piece. The ability of staff to work remotely varies a lot. Make sure they can access technical support quickly and easily.  Make sure any challenges that may impact their entire household, such as those caused by whole families working and studying at home together, are openly raised and resolved.  Don’t give an opportunity for excuses to drop off in productivity or late deliverables because of technology failure.  

• Are there staff members who cannot work from home?  By now, provision should have been in place accommodating staff who cannot work at home.  Think like the current model for schools. Some kids cannot stay at home and so a skeleton staff of teachers is looking after and teaching these students.  Similarly, provide some support or re-purpose the staff, utilising their presence in the office or business site sensibly - can they help others who are working at home?

• What is the remote conference capability for the business?  There have been some issues with the dramatic increase in Zoom use and with it a degradation of the service quality.  Don’t get too fancy. The ordinary phone is still very versatile and easy to conference in several participants. It has the other benefit of not catching out partially dressed staff.  However, for video conference and sharing documents you can also consider using Skype, WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger and Slack.

• What are the success criteria?  The day to day for the team is now changed.  Determine how success looks. Success could be good old fashioned KPIs or simply tangible deliverables.  Avoid intangibles and subjective criteria, even though it is natural to empathise strongly with any emotional disruption the situation brings.  Follow up on agreed deliverables and use this as part of the 1:1 and team meetings. It will provide structure and direction, and purpose.

• What is the process or policy if members become sick?  Of course, succumbing to the virus is increasingly an issue but more broadly you should be alert for mental health issues arising in your team.  These are stressful times and the dramatic change and uncertainty affect all of us in different ways. Stay close to your staff and listen to what they are saying and how they are saying it.  Accessing mental health services is easier in Australia than in most countries. However, supporting and encouraging members to get support is often the barrier that can be difficult to cross.

• The government has floated the idea of business hibernation, and this idea is supported by the small business ombudsman, Kate Carnell.  However, the details around what is involved in “pausing” a small business are still in development. Do not wait for guidance. Work out as quickly as possible if the decisions made so far resulted in enough change for the business to survive a prolonged downturn.  Be prepared to restructure and cut costs until confidence returns.

• What is the expected business impact for such change?  You should be doing modelling on the business impact and the shape your business is projected to be in within 3 months, 6 months and 12 months from now.  As the crisis starts to abate very few businesses will look the same as they did going into the crisis. The strategy document will need to be revised. With the new structure and team makeup it's time to spend the middle of the crisis planning on where the business will go next.  There will be new opportunities that arise which were not present before the crisis. Many previous competitors may not make it through. Visualize what the new competitive landscape will look like and the opportunities it will afford your business.

• Is there enough cash to sustain an expected downturn?  Work your plan closely with your accountant, on a daily or weekly basis.  You cannot overthink this.

• What are the communications pieces and dialogue forums we need to prepare for clients?  By this stage, you should be communicating by email and using phone or video conference to keep up to date with your clients and employees.Don’t slam your clients with endless COVID-19 updates.  There is too much of that happening already. Send considered communication to your clients, personalised as much as possible rather than mass ‘one for all’ messaging.Communication to clients should not be about you.  Make it about them and supporting them, informing them clearly of how their dealings with your business need to change and why Ask for their feedback constantly, encouraging an open, mutually beneficial dialogue.

• What is the government support that can be accessed to soften financial impact?  The details for this are changing daily. It's best to stay up to date using websites like the Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman site.

Many of these questions are common sense, but it is surprising how addressing them can get delayed or ignored for long enough to cause significant issues.

I’m already working through these and other issues with a number of SMEs.  Please connect with me if you need any support in crisis-management too.