10 Questions to Ask When Reopening your Business

10 Questions to Ask When Reopening your Business

As stay-at-home orders are lifting across most states, business leaders are feeling both relief and trepidation. Governments are cautioning that the danger from the COVID-19 pandemic is far from over. But in many places the burden of the decision of exactly how and when to open is resting heavily on businesses themselves. 

Whether you were already open, have just been told you can open your doors, are trying to decide when to bring remote employees back to the office, or are still waiting for the green light, one thing may be weighing heavily on your mind: How can you do what’s best for your business, and still ensure the safety of your employees and communities?

There are questions around when to reopen, ensuring you have the resources in place and the support of key stakeholders. There are also important questions around how to reopen — how to create a plan that will be both thorough and also flexible to meet a constantly evolving situation.

Asking those questions, unflinchingly addressing the answers, and — where necessary — finding help in resolving concerns will be crucial for any business to have a successful reopening and recovery.

Here Are 10 Questions to Start With: 

1. What city, state, or federal mandates will affect your reopening?
2. Do you employ or serve members of vulnerable populations?
3. Would your staffing needs change? (e.g. Will you need to hire or reduce staff?)
4. Can your business be profitable under the constraints of social distancing?
5. Can the physical layout of your workplace and work shifts meet or adapt to social distancing requirements?
6. What additional budget would you need to allocate for reopening expenses?
7. Can you implement a partial or phased re-opening, and what would that look like?
8. Have you checked in with employees to determine their concerns and support for your reopening plans?
9. What will your policy be regarding monitoring for and responding to COVID-19 symptoms?
10. Who will be responsible for overseeing and implementing new rules related to your reopening, safety and compliance?

These are just some of the critical questions you should understand and be able to answer before moving forward.

To Learn More

For a more comprehensive list check out our full list of 100 questions, along with a breakdown of some of the risks, in our new eBook: Navigating the Reopening of Your Business: 100 questions to help your business map COVID-19 risks and recovery.