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Launching A Startup In 2021? Here’s What To Do First

1/8/2021

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If 2020 has taught us anything, it's that some things are out of our control. The world is changing and at a fast pace, which is obligating us to adapt to a new lifestyle and look for new opportunities. If you're contemplating launching a startup this year, do these four things first.
  • Plan​
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Writing a business plan is a crucial part of starting a business. It helps to ascertain the viability and feasibility of a company before too much time and money is invested. Saying you're going to start a business isn't enough; it's always easier said than done. What you have to do is sit down and write out a pan. What type of business do you want to mount? How much capital do you want to invest in it? Is your business going to thrive amidst the pandemic? Make plans for unforeseen changes too. A business plan not only provides strategies on how to start your business, but it also gives an insight into what approaches to take, what resources you'll need to start the business, among others. Failing to plan is planning to fail. 
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  • Determine the type of business 
What business do you want to venture into? If you're confused about the kind of business to start, you could write out a list of things you're passionate about whether it is the manufacturing, beauty, or construction industry. But above all, your business should aim to tackle problems or solve the consumer's needs. To determine the type of business, conduct a market study. This will reveal if there's a ready and potential market for your business and your existing competitors on the market. In the US alone, small businesses make up 99.7% of businesses, according to the US Small Business Administration Office of Advocacy. Conducting a market study could help you find a competitive advantage for your business.
  •  Assess your finances
Planning a business and determining the type of business are just ideas, which are worthless unless paired with execution. Nobody would care about your business as much as you would. So, how much do you consider your startup business to be worth? How much do you intend to invest as capital?  How do you intend to acquire the stipulated capital; by yourself or by borrowing from a bank? You don't need huge sums to begin a business. You could start with something small. Remember, Rome wasn't built in a day. From your plan, you should have a fair idea of how much you'll need as a startup cost. It's a good idea to overestimate your startup cost, perform a break-even analysis, and consider available funding options just in case.
  • Create and design an easy to use website
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The E-commerce rate has risen over more than 30% in the wake of COVID-19, we live in times where consumers prefer to purchase by clicking. 2021 is the best year to start an online business like freelance writing, coaching, graphic design, delivery business, and the list goes on. You want to create an easy to navigate website which makes buying easy. Consider making your site mobile friendly as well. Nobody has time to grab a laptop just to assess your site. Think of convenience to the consumer when creating your website. Online content consumption is higher than ever; take advantage of it!

There are clearly more steps that need to be done but getting these first crucial items covered will get you well on your way to having that new business idea turned into a reality.
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Costs to Consider When Starting a Business

12/18/2020

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2020 has thrown many of our careers into disarray. The coranvirus and Covid-19 pandemic has brought chaos with it, not only in threatening our physical health and wellbeing, but in damaging our economy and finances too. The restrictions that governments around the world are putting in place are in good faith and are actively slowing the global population’s infection rate. But it’s impossible to deny that these restrictions have taken countless businesses down with them. Many companies have been unable to withstand the restrictions and have collapsed. Many of us have lost our jobs. A huge number of people have been made redundant. Then there are those of us who have been furloughed and had sufficient time to realise that the careers we’re currently in aren’t the right ones for us. If you’ve found yourself in any of these situations, you may be one of many people who are considering starting their own business. Now, if you have a  great product or service concept that can work during the pandemic, this is great and you could experience profound success and huge profits. But you should also be aware of the costs of running a business when you head into things. Here are a few to take into consideration!

Manufacturing

If you’re planning on selling a product, remember that there are going to be costs involved in manufacturing it. This is true no matter what product you’re making and selling. You’re inevitably ging to have to take one of two options. The first is outsourcing. This means handing over a product design to a third party manufacturer and paying them to create it. The second is bringing manufacturing in house. This means investing in specialist machinery, specialist equipment like a tungsten carbide nozzle and hiring staff to operate said machinery. The most cost effective option for you will likely depend on the volume of goods you’re producing.

Staffing

Sure, many business owners will take the bulk of the work on their own two shoulders when they first start out. But eventually, as you establish yourself as a brand, start making sales and see increases in demand, you’re going to have to take on staff to help. One person can only do so much and continuing to do things alone will see poor customer service and problems with reviews and reputation. So, you’re going to have to hire staff - who come with a cost - at some point. Consider part time, full time and even occasionally self employed individuals for one off tasks like web design, new product descriptions or other tasks.

Commercial Premises

If you continue to grow, you’ll eventually need to expand into commercial premises. Sure, operating from home can work on a smaller scale. But as you grow, you will need more space for yourself and your staff. Whether that’s brick and mortar stores or office spaces.

These are just a few costs associated with running a business. There are, of course, more. But hopefully, some of this information will help you to get the ball rolling in the right direction!

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Top Tips for Optimal Customer Service

12/2/2020

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Whether you’re in the thick of customer service, or you manage a team of experts in customer care, there are a few basics that it’s always worth brushing up on. So, if you want to give your team some tips to follow leading up to one of the busiest times of the year, then read on for some expert guidance on great customer service. 

Make it easy for the customer

One of the things that customers find frustrating is when the purchasing or communications procedure is complicated and takes unnecessary time. How often have you been buying something online only to give up when you discovered they didn’t take Paypal? At every step of the purchasing journey your customers take, you should be asking yourself how to make things easier for them. Whether it’s a credit card reader, scanner, or mobile point of sale, you can get one here to make things easier for your customer and ensure they slide smoothly from browsing to purchasing. 

Good product knowledge

If you want to provide amazing customer care, then flawless product knowledge is absolutely key. You need to trust your team and successfully delegate tasks to them and, for that to work, you should feel certain that they know the business inside-out. If Christmas and the holidays are a busy period for you, then it might be worth investing in some training days to make sure that everyone’s up to speed. If some employees are part-time or working reduced hours, then dedicate some time at the beginning of a shift to fill them in on any changes or developments. Remember, your customers should feel safe and confident that they’re dealing with experts in the product or service that they’re purchasing. 

Take on feedback

It can be challenging to deal with complaints. We all might know that you should avoid challenging the customer, but this can be difficult especially if it turns out that the customer is not always right. However, regardless of what they’re saying, you know you have to paste on that smile and let them have their way. Instead of letting angry or complaining customers irritate you, instead think about it as an opportunity for feedback. Some people will always try and get something for nothing, but other customers might have a genuine concern that they want to raise. Instead of getting defensive, use it as an opportunity to grow and develop your business.

Start a conversation

It’s important to get to know your customers. Firstly, because knowing who they are and what they like will mean you can interact with them far more easily and efficiently. But not only that, it will make expanding and developing your business that much easier if you’re already aware of your customer’s likes and dislikes. This might be straightforward in a face-to-face interaction but what if your business has gone digital? This is where you can really use a service like Facebook audience insights, to see what other pages your customers have liked and tap into their interests.

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Delivering The Best Customer Service to your Clients

11/25/2020

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Investing in customer service is one area of your business; you should never shy away from. Being proactive and making sure you, your employees and your company is doing all it can to make sure the customer experience is a good one will be one of the best ways you can not only grow your company but also help with marketing too. After all, word of mouth is still one of the most powerful marketing tools available, and a good customer experience means positive referrals and feedback.
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So how can you build upon and expand your customer service?

Products and Services.

What you are offering needs to be top-notch and fit for purpose. Making sure your providers or products meet the customer's demands and do what they need it to will keep people coming back time and time again. Opting for lower quality materials and packaging will show, and this will have an impact on the overall customer experience. Look at ways you can invest in products and packing such as products from https://plaspack.com/industry/food-beverage/ can help you invest in high-quality materials that will help you to deliver the best customer service possible.

Feedback

Feedback is vital to help you make sure you are on point when it comes to how your customers are finding the experience of dealing with your company. Constructive feedback will help you to hone in on areas where you can do better and help you to look at your options going forward. Invite feedback from clients, staff, vendors and more to help you to do what you do but better.

Always focussing on your goals by utilising feedback makes for a better entrepreneur and gives your customers the confidence that you really do have the best interests at heart.
Effective feedback requires you to ask the right questions and upon receiving results will also give you a good base for any expansion plans you have in mind and ways you can meet gaps in the market and fill any demand that other companies are overlooking.

Training

For yourself as well as your employees. Making sure everyone is reading from the same tool sheet and working from the same page is vital to make sure that no matter who your customers come into contact with, they have the same experience and benefit from the same knowledge level. 
Thorough and complete staff training also boosts employees confidence and gives them the correct tools needed to do their job. Low staff morale leads to poorer levels of customer service, and this will have an almost immediate and detrimental effect on your levels of customer service.
No matter the enquiry or the contact point, your team needs to know the appropriate answer, and if they don't, they need to efficiently be able to direct them to a place where their query will be dealt with swiftly. This will bolster customer confidence in your and your company and lead you back to higher levels of customer satisfaction. So remember, no one ever knows everything, and there is always room for growth and the ability to learn something new along with implementing newer, more efficient methods in business too.

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A Weight Off Your Shoulders: How To Delegate Tasks & Manage Workflow

11/12/2020

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Being a business owner is such a lot of pressure, as from day 1 the responsibility is on you to make this whole thing work. From creating products to implementing marketing campaigns, providing customers with a quality service and even disposing of your waste in a safe, planet friendly manner - every task seems to fall down to you, encouraging your stress levels to reach overwhelming levels. If this is the case, you must make an effort to learn how to delegate tasks and manage your workflow in a more proactive way. Luckily there are a few key tips and tricks that you can make the most of to ensure you can keep calm and controlled when pushing your business towards maximum profit margins, and it couldn’t be easier to get started today. So, if you would like to find out more, then read on to uncover some of the best steps that you can follow now to achieve business brilliance in no time at all. 
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Find A Trusted Team 

Though it can be extremely difficult to let go of some responsibilities to allow other people to take over, finding a trusted team of experienced staff to support you in your journey is absolutely vital if you wish to progress. You can’t continue to grow as a business if you only maintain 1 member of staff, so there’s no time like the present to search for someone skilled who can support you in your quests to grow. Finding a trusted team needn’t be as difficult as you might initially believe, as there are many sources of qualified candidates that you can interview and assess to evaluate their suitability. Be sure to go through a thorough questioning process that can offer a good display of their capabilities as well as their personality too. Having a right hand man can cut your workflow in half, so it’s the perfect way to cut some pressure without having to make a huge change. 

Don’t Be Afraid To Outsource 

If you don’t want to go through the hassle of interviewing and employing an extra pair of hands, why not outsource certain tasks or services instead? There are many professional brands that provide other businesses with specific specialist support, in all manner of different areas and tasks. Whether you need a marketing maestro to take your products to the people, or an e safety specialist that can protect your systems and services from the outside world, there’s bound to be a reputable supplier that’s ready and waiting for your call. If you think you may want to learn more about how you can benefit from something like outsourced IT support then click here, as you’ll find a whole host of reasons why you should make the switch to outsourcing. 

Handling the stress and pressure of running your own business has never been so easy when you’re able to follow the steps detailed above. Find quality staff that can help you thrive, and outsource specialist tasks and services that require more skill. 

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How Employers Can Support Their New Remote Team

10/27/2020

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During these uncertain times, many of us are having to adapt to new ways of working. Employees all over the globe have been asked to work from home wherever possible, which can be stressful and overwhelming, especially as it has been an unplanned and sudden change. 
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There are, however, some steps that employers can take to help lessen the stress of working from home for their employees. Having to operate in highly stressful conditions can have a negative impact on employees physical and mental health. Meaning, it is imperative that employers rise to the occasion and take on the challenge of supporting their employees. 

Have a look below at some of the ways employers can support their new remote team: 

Help To Build A Healthy Workspace

It’s very unlikely that all of your employees will have an ideal space that they can dedicate to working from home. Therefore it’s imperative that employers help and encourage their employees to find an area, where they can, that is away from the social area that used for relaxing and unwinding. You ideally need to prevent any blurred line between home and work life. If they don’t have the right equipment, such as a desk, it may be something to consider reimbursing or providing to them. 

Maintaining A Routine

While working from home does enable you to allow your employees to have a more flexible work schedule, it is still important for you to ask them to try and stick to a routine as best as possible. You need to encourage them to stick to a ‘work time’ and a ‘home time’, perhaps suggest they start and finish work at a similar time as if they were in the office. However, don’t make it compulsory and allow them the time to be flexible for things like shopping for essentials when it’s quieter, or going for their daily exercise. As long as you have a rough idea of when they will be available you are able to monitor their work-life balance and making sure they’re not overdoing it. 

Encouraging Wellbeing Practices

This time enables you to take a much closer look at your existing wellbeing strategy. Does it still work for a team that is working from home? Showing that you genuinely care about your employee’s wellbeing can help to boost engagement, trust, and productivity. Whether it’s directing them to the right website to order their glasses prescription from, offering online gym equipment vouchers, or offering to counsel or those who need support, it all goes towards looking after your employees while they are home. 

Investing in Technology

Providing the right technology for your employees can have a significant impact on their remote working experience. Proving them with the right tools for the job is essential, Giving them communication tools like video, voice calling platforms and instant messaging, can help you to stay connected to your employees. It’s also a good idea to think about investing in a recognition platform that enables you to provide recognition for good work and contributions even though they are working from home. 

​These are just four of the ways employees can support their new remote working team. Is there anything else you think should be included? 

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Purchasing A New Laptop

9/17/2020

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Nowadays most people own a laptop, and as they cost a lot of money and will hopefully last for a long time it is vital that you get a good laptop for the best price. There are often lots of deals on laptops, usually limited offers for a short period of time, by utilising one of these you can save an awful lot of money. 

If you are buying a laptop online these deals will usually be on the home page, so they are not hard to find. To get the best deals on laptops you need to look out for these special offers, but you do not need to simply buy the lowest priced one without any consideration for what the laptop entails. You must consider a few pointers first. 

First and foremost, you need to consider the brand of the laptop. If it is an unknown brand that does not have many products on display then I would stay away because, for one, you will not know whether they have a good reputation, and secondly, if they are not well known then there may not be good customer service available nor will there be a lot of people who know how to help you if certain aspects of your laptop start to fail. I would advise going for the well-known brands, such as Dell, Apple, and Acer, because you know you are guaranteed a great product as well as a great customer service and repairs team. 

The look of a laptop is also vital because let’s face it; you are going to be looking at it for the majority of the time then you don’t want to look at something unattractive. Therefore, get a design to suit you and a colour you will like. Nowadays laptops are available in literally every look you can imagine; you can even get changeable surfaces.

The battery is another important aspect because you need to pick a laptop that will have a fairly decent life once charged. There is nothing more annoying then charging your laptop to find that an hour later you have to plug it in and charge it all over again. Apple Mac’s are particularly known for their long-lasting battery life. 

If you’re looking for a business laptop, you need to make sure it is compatible with all the programs you need. It is often good to consult with industry experts here. You can read more about this online and the managed services available.

Finally, you need to consider the memory of your laptop along with the internet and network connections. Regarding the former, it is best to have a fairly substantial size memory, especially if you are going to be downloading things a lot of the time. Regarding the latter, you need to make sure the laptop you buy has the right internet features to suit you, for example, if you want to connect to Wi-Fi you will require a network card.

All in all, finding the best laptop deals does not just mean finding the cheapest laptop on offer, you need to make sure the laptop suits you and meets your requirements. My advice would be to scout out about five of the cheapest laptops then sit and compare the options they entail and choose the best one for you.

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What Have You Forgotten That Your Business Needs?

8/23/2020

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As a business owner, you are continually going to be overrun with things to do. There is always something that needs sorting, there is always someone who needs some help, and there is always something going wrong. For this reason, it is really easy to miss something that your business needs, which can be a nightmare on its own. As such, we’ve written this article to help jog your memory on some of the things that you might have forgotten, but your business still needs. Keep reading if you want to find out more.
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The Correct Equipment

First, you need to make sure that you have all the right equipment. You’d have noticed by now if you didn’t have the most essential stuff, but do you have fuels and lubricants to run the machines? As it’s not technically part of the equipment, it can be easy to overlook things like this, but it’s important to keep in mind that the machines won’t work correctly without things like this. It’s not a big issue though, simply order what you need and find out when it can get delivered to you. Shop around and find a supplier who doesn’t cost you a fortune and isn’t going to make you wait a lifetime to get what you need.

Or, it might be the case that something is broken and you need to replace it, but it’s gone to the bottom of your list because you got so busy. Bump it up and get the piece of equipment you need so your employees can do their job to the best possible standard.

Updated Technology

Another thing that you’re going to have to think about is updated technology. You can’t have your employees using computers from 2007 because they’re going to be slow and unreliable. As such, you’ve got to be willing to make the investment into the new tech on the market to keep your business competitive with all the others out there. If you do this, you are putting your company in a far better position than it would be with the old computers and tech.

An Expert In All Areas

Finally, you really need some kind of expert in all of your departments, if just to make sure that everything is running smoothly. We know that these can be quite costly, but it means that you don’t have to panic that something is going to go wrong all the time, and even if it does, an expert will know how to handle it. This is particularly important when it comes to IT and marketing, so do be sure to look into this. If you can’t afford this right now, then at least consider hiring a consultant to make sure everything is running smoothly.

We hope that you have found this article helpful and now have an idea about some of the things that your business needs, but you’ve forgotten about. Don’t panic, just get them sooner rather than later, and everything will be okay. Good luck.​
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Bringing Your Coffee Shop Back to Life Post-Lockdown

8/19/2020

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When we open our businesses back up, we need to make customers feel safe. We cannot mess this up, we have to show that we are taking the government guidelines seriously. Customers who see that businesses are trying to protect them, we will be more inclined to feel an emotional connection to them. That means, the new form of loyalty! Emotional friendship is something so powerful, that businesses who don’t present a more ‘human’ touch, will always fail to hold onto customers in the long-term. But now that we have social distancing measures among others, how can we implement them more easily?
Signs of change

We have to show customers that we are following the guidelines, that the entire world is following too. Using coroplast signs, we can create bespoke images and text, to warn customers what they need to do. You can make a sign saying “wear a mask” along with an icon of a human wearing a face covering. You could also make a sign saying “two meters distance” and have two people standing far from each other with arrows or measuring dots in between.

Place these signs at the base of your lines in the store. Wherever the customers line up to the serving, place this sign on a stem and or platform. You should also place these signs on your windows, so passersby know that it's safe inside because you have such rules in place. If you have customers sitting outside al-fresco, then place the signs outside too. 

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What if customers don’t agree?

The key question for all coffee shop owners is, what if a customer walks into your store and doesn’t want to wear a mask or keep their distance from other customers? The sad fact of the matter is, you have to turn them around and refuse to serve them. They will also need to be kicked out of your store. Bear in mind, customers obeying your rules will want to leave your establishment, if you're too afraid to apply the law. 

What if they become violent? This is why it's so important to have a good relationship with the local police. You should warn them that you will be opening up on this day and time and that you will call them if a non-compliant customer is causing trouble on your premises. 

Also, consider hiring a security guard. They will need to be okay with the new rules. If they need to physically remove someone who isn’t wearing a mask, this is something that could be risky but they should know that this is part of the job requirements.

Indoor food and drink policies

Customers should not be allowed to pick food or drink items up, then put them back down again if they’re not buying them. If you have a pack of chips or perhaps some fruit bowls up for sale, customers should only touch these items if they are intending on purchasing them. This is a policy which you should enact in your business. Either write it down on a slate with some chalk or place a sign indoors. This will prevent customers who could have an illness from spreading it around your shop.
Social media

Showing customers that you’re open for business is crucial! Now more than ever you should drop any kind of pretence regarding marketing and just show the real deal. Take selfies in your store with lines of customers in the background. Ask customers if they would be okay with having their picture taken and post them online. Use their first names only and make it more personal such as “Cindy and Martin enjoying a muffin and a latte, come join us we’re open!” it's sounds so simple but it's so effective.

You can also take marvelous photos of your drinks and food as a way to bring customers out of their homes and places of work, to your shop even if it's just to buy some items and leave. You want to show the world what they’re missing out on!

Make local deliveries

Starbucks has already made announcements of stores making local deliveries and your shop should do the same. Allow people to make orders online and bring their food and drink to them. Remember, people are working from home so you no longer will be making deliveries to commercial offices, but people’s homes now. 

Bringing your amazing coffee shop back to life isn’t going to be easy, but let’s face it, no one who owns a business will have it better anyway. So, let’s have signs reminding customers to follow the rules, keep a sound food and beverage policy and make deliveries where we can. ​
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Cleanliness Is Crucial In Modern Business

8/14/2020

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We’ve all had a lot more reason to be concerned with how we handle both waste and general dirt in the workplace as of late. If people weren’t taking hygiene seriously before, they are now. If you’re reopening your office, then you might find that a deep clean and much stronger hygiene routine is in order from now on. Here, we’re going to look at the options you should be considering.​
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From top to bottom
A lot of businesses are looking at reopening for the first time in months. Others are realising that they produce a lot more waste than they can typically get rid of, which can lead to it piling up and taking up storage space. Consider skip bin hire    to get all the accumulating waste out of your office in one-go. This should be done as part of a comprehensive spring cleaning throughout the office, as you’re likely to find even more waste to add to the pile as you go through the workplace room by room and bit by bit.

Make it routine
A lot of business owners might think that they only need to invest in cleaning the office when it’s visibly dirty. However, dirt, dust, and grime can build up while you’re not looking and, even before you can see it, it can affect air quality, hygiene, and all manner of other health concerns. Outsourcing your cleaning can help you ensure you manage to fit the necessary provisions into your routine if you’re not able to take care of it yourself.

Help your team find peace of mind
Your employees are going to want to feel safe in the workplace, which means that a focus on making hygiene accessible must be put in place. First of all, make it a policy for team members to follow certain rules, such as using hand sanitizer and washing their hands after sitting down at or leave their desks. Then make sure that you provide all the supplies that they need to able to take care of themselves and their workspaces. If it will affect the feeling of safety and wellbeing, you can’t allow any exceptions.

Encourage forthrightness about illness
If people do not feel well, then you should encourage them to stay at home. Even if they feel well enough to work, but are showing symptoms of any transmissible illnesses, then you can have them work remotely, so they’re still able to contribute but without risking the health and safety of their coworkers. Traditionally, managers have been incentivised, though never explicitly, to encourage employees to work even when they are sick. For obvious reasons, this is not something we should be encouraging. It might take some time to adjust this part of workplace culture, but it is essential.

Clearing excess waste, making sure that regular cleaning happens, and providing your team with the sanitizing tools that they need are all examples of the kind of standard we all need to follow closely nowadays. More than ever, the health of the business depends on it.
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