GettinG Ready
IF YOU’RE hunched over a computer monitor all day, or serving the public in a shop or bar, it is likely you’ll be able to keep your distance from others in accordance with coronavirus guidelines. But what happens if your business is one of those where it’s impossible not to get within a metre of your clients?
Some of these ‘close up’ businesses – including dental practices and hairdressers – are already able to reopen. But others, such as spas and nail bars, must remain closed for the time being.
For those that have already been given the green light, many changes have had to be made to ensure that work can continue safely. For those that aren’t open, communication with customers and continued planning is vital.
‘The restrictions placed on closecontact businesses such as hairdressers and spas by the government are, of course, fair: they are designed to keep the business and the customer safe,’ says Michelle Ovens, head of Small Business Britain. ‘Small businesses are hugely invested in the care of both their staff and their customers, so of course they want to do everything they can to reassure and protect.
‘Small businesses can take their stakeholders on the journey with them – through the cleaning process, the face coverings and the changes in procedure – which will ensure customer engagement and staff loyalty through this difficult time.’ on the premises if possible and wash them on a daily basis. The guidance also recommends that staff wear visors covering the forehead, extending below the chin, and wrapping around the side of the face, when dealing with clients.
Hilary Hall, chief executive of the National Hairdressing & Barbers Federation, says that although the guidance is welcome, these decisions have come ‘very late in the day’.
‘We are also extremely disappointed that beauty businesses are not yet allowed to reopen, and we have always emphasised that hair and beauty should reopen at the same time,’ she adds.
Like all other businesses with more than five employees, close-contact businesses must do a risk assessment to ensure that they are ready to open, and this may need to be even more thorough than for other types of businesses given the nature of the work.
Staff must be kept safe as well as customers, with the government recommending staggered shift patterns and limited role and task rotation so that opportunities to pass on the virus are limited. The government also requires you to keep a list of your staff’s shift patterns for 21 days in case Test & Trace agents contact you.
Bhavin Shah, founder of Central Vision Opticians in Finchley, London, says that walking through the entire customer journey – from booking an appointment to walking out of the store – helps to identify pinch points and areas for improvement when preparing to reopen.
Like many opticians, he has been able to stay open for emergencies throughout lockdown, which has helped him work out how best to operate.
He says that the new working practices are ‘a bit surreal’ but that by discussing ideas with other optometrists, he has managed to make reopening less stressful, yet safe. ‘Initially, I think we