Traditionally, companies have a plan for business disruption due to natural events, such as earthquakes, fires, floods, blizzards, etc. These scenarios involve planning for recovery, after a brief and partial disruption in customer-facing manufacturing/ distribution businesses.
Today, after a mandated and rapid deceleration of most businesses activities across our state, and the country, management and leadership should expect to shift their energy and focus toward creating the best seamless plan to restart and scale up their business, once this crisis has run its course.
Here are some thoughts:
- Because many employees have access to devices that facilitate electronic communication, this can serve as the foundation for keeping your employees informed in a consistent manner. Make sure to set up a daily communication methodology, via emails, group texts, or an update on your company’s web page. This will limit the amount of anxiety generated by speculation, and squelch the “rumor mill”.
- Give employees who are exceedingly stressed an avenue to have one-on-one conversations, via a “help desk” or message line that assures a call back from someone in a position of authority within the company.
- Ensure your IT infrastructure remains protected and up to date. When your guard is down or distractions cause inattentiveness, this is when the unauthorized attacks are likely to occur and further damage your ability to recover and restart.
- Think about your operations and build out a “recall list” and “ramp up” procedure. Which employees should return to work first, in what order, and when? Having everyone show up on “Monday Morning” will just result in confusion and further exasperation.
- Which orders / customers / processes are launched and when? How are your customers’ needs changed in the last week or so? What about your supply chain partners, are they going to be able to meet your needs on the inbound side? Do any processes that have been shut down need validation?
- Where is your constraint; do you have the people and resources available to get these key-critical items up to speed in an orderly fashion, ahead of all else?
- Do you have to create new shifts or work schedules (4×10, 24/ 5, etc.) to meet your employee’s and customer’s needs in an effective manner?
- Don’t lose sight of what employees might have been through, on a personal level, during this period. Be empathetic and flexible at the outset, knowing that the new normal may take time to stabilize.
Insyte Consulting stands ready to assist you in thinking through and mapping out this recovery and ramp up strategy. Free guidance and consultation for WNY manufacturers from 8AM to 4PM Monday through Friday until further notice: 716-259-2087
Visit our COVID-19 web page with information & updates for manufacturers: http://www.insyte-consulting.com/covid-19
