It’s been a brilliant few months for hospitality and retail. From April 12th – and then May 17th – we’ve loved seeing so many businesses reopen and kick back into action. But now that it’s been a few weeks, and the dust has settled, it’s the perfect time to take stock of where your business is at. To reflect on your reopening experience, what your business looks like post-lockdown, what’s perhaps changed, and what to expect from the future.
With this in mind, we’ve put together a few questions for you to mull over. Some inspiration to help you reflect on the past year and start thinking more long-term about your organisation once again.
What are the top lessons you’ve learnt over the past twelve months?
Now this is a big question to start with. One you’ll no doubt have plenty of different answers to. But, as the country looks more long-term into our pandemic recovery, we encourage you to consider what lessons you’ve learnt during COVID that are worth carrying over into the future.
How have you adapted as a business? What’s worked and will remain relevant in a post-pandemic world? What’s perhaps not working and still in need of some refining? If there’s one point we can thank the pandemic for, it’s pushing our organisations to be even more resilient and flexible. And it’s always worth reflecting on how your business has, and will continue to, come out the other side for the better.
How are my staff doing?
It’s more than likely that, by this point, your staff have settled back into a familiar routine (at least, familiar with some extra measures in place).
But it’s no secret that everyone responds and reacts differently to change and uncertainty. Just because employees seem to be functioning as normal doesn’t mean there isn’t anything going on behind the scenes. Perhaps some are still struggling with anxiety around being in work, a heightened work load, or about what the future might look like. Maybe some are still navigating the loss of loved ones or overcoming the collective loss regarding twelve months of lockdowns.
Take some time to consider what your staff might be feeling. Schedule regular check-ins to ask them how they’re doing and truly listen to their answers. Let them know you’re still there and you understand that life might still be uneasy.
Checking in with your staff and showing empathy in your leadership role is critical to maintaining that reopening momentum and establishing a sense of connection and support across your organisation long-term.
Where is there still room for you to maximise efficiency and profitability?
In the second quarter of 2020 alone, hospitality saw a catastrophic 87% decrease in sales. And this means that, even a year on, there’s still a lot of ground to make up. There’s never been a more important time to focus on strengthening your business.
No doubt your plan as of June 2021 is miles apart from that of January 2020. Where is it you want to go? Check in with your current systems, processes, and projections. Are you on track to getting there? Where is there room for improvement? Are there systems you can streamline or tasks you can automate? Are there new revenue streams you can explore or an impactful marketing strategy worth investing in?
This one is well worth revisiting on a regular basis, to keep your business on course and maximise the rest of the year.
These questions might seem straightforward. But we get so used to going through the motions, putting one foot in front of the other, that we forget to actually check in with where we’re at and where we hope to go. Next time you find yourself with some time, consider these questions and check in with your organisation.
If you’re looking to maximise your productivity and efficiency long term, the Inform People platform is a tailor-made solution for any multi-site organisation hoping to get ahead. From communications to HR, and everything in between, we can streamline operations across all levels of your business. To find out more, get in touch with us via email or on +44 (0)161 713 4104.
