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It’s time to get back to work, but is everyone ready?
Jolyn Ng • Jun 25, 2020
Prepare your team to return to work post-COVID
Around the world, lockdowns are lifting and restrictions continue to ease. It is definitely good news for businesses, including tours and activities operators. But as businesses try to pick up from where they left off a few months ago, rebooting your operations can be a challenge.
Whether the ‘new normal’ is here to stay or not, there are new expectations to meet in the immediate short term. Governments have physical distancing and sanitation protocols that your business will have to abide by. Travelers have their considerations when deciding to book
travel experiences with you. And for your staff, they too will have their concerns resuming work.
Going back to work can be daunting and stressful for your office staff, as well as on-the-ground guides and drivers. Not one person has been left unaffected by the experiences of the last few months. There is the fear of falling sick from the virus, a smaller team, reduced work hours and income, and the list goes on. So how can you help allay the uneasy feeling and ensure business continues?
Abiding by your local authorities’ health and safety measures for your employees and customers will be of top priority. But here are some other ideas we’ve gathered that hopefully can help you along the way.
- Regroup your team. They can be mentally or emotionally affected by any negative hit to your business during this period. Involve your employees and consult them when designing a return-to-work plan.
- Set realistic expectations. Things will not go back to how they were before, at least not immediately. Some businesses might have less manpower such as freelance guides, some might scale down operations and focus on the more viable experiences using past reports in their Bókun accounts.
- Reshape your business operations. Adapt to the situation and make changes to how you conduct your tours and activities, such as how you assign guides and drivers and your cancellation and refund policy.
- Stay well-informed. Keep a close eye on not just the travel situation updates, but also on your team and your travelers. Make sure they are in good health and give all parties a peace of mind.
- Recover and start planning for the future. Learn from past events and build your business up again. Take the opportunity to reevaluate your business plan for the future, looking into adding private tours and/or partnerships via the Bókun Marketplace.
Your team is the core of your business. Assure your team first, and communicate that confidence to your travelers too. Build a strong healthy team to push your business forward in this time of uncertainty. We also have a quick checklist to prepare your business for post-COVID travelers, so check that out!
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