Winter can create a lot of risks for small businesses. Make sure your business is prepared during the coldest days of winter. Planning ahead can keep your business from experiencing costly damages and loss of productivity during the wintertime.
Watch Your Step. Snow and ice can turn your place of business into a navigational nightmare for your staff and your customers. Prepare for inclement weather by keeping your parking lot salted and plowed. Make use of signage to warn your customers and staff of potential slipping hazards, and keep floors with heavy foot traffic clean and dry to prevent slips and falls.
Have a Plan. If the roads become too hazardous to navigate, you may need to delay opening your place of business until it is safe to travel. Have a plan in place for contacting your employees and notifying the public. You may even find it beneficial to set up your most essential staff to work from home to keep them safe and ensure that operations run smoothly.
Prepare for Outages. Power outages are common when heavy snow blankets the region. Make sure your business is ready for potential outages. Having a generator is a smart move for businesses whose operations could be severely affected by a power outage. Make sure you also have on hand flashlights, batteries, first aid, emergency food, and any other items that would be essential in the event that you were to be snowed in at your place of business.
Conserve Energy. Cut costs by being mindful of your energy consumption during the winter so your electricity and heating bills don’t get out of hand. Lower your thermostat during off hours, or make use of a programmable or smart thermostat to schedule your adjustments. Contact your utility provider to see what other adjustments you can make to make your business more energy efficient and lower your operations costs.
