It’s the most wonderful time of a very unusual year!
Christmas usually means bustling streets, festive markets, packed shops and fully-booked bars and restaurants – but 2020 clearly had something different planned.
Still, whether COVID is around or not, it’s still Christmas time and your business is still likely to see changes in services and customer behaviour during this period.
While it’s very tempting to want to “forget about COVID” during the holiday phase, it’s crucial for UK businesses to maintain COVID caution.
So, here are some tips on how to ensure your business is prepared, safe and sensible this Christmas.
Don’t Loosen Your Rules
While the government is intending to allow a grace period where up to three households to mix, this doesn’t mean that other rules are going to disappear.
Aside from the “mixing” guidance, every other piece of advice remains exactly the same, so don’t see the days around Christmas as an opportunity to whip off your face mask.
If anything, now is the time to be more stringent with your hygiene and distancing rules. The idea of a grace period where families can meet does come with risks, so it’s better to minimise these risks with extra caution in your workplace.
Stock Up
It’s notoriously difficult to buy stock and get quick delivery during the days around Christmas, so make sure you’re all stocked up in advance!
Do a stock count of COVID safety supplies and evaluate whether you have enough to last you through the holiday period. It’s always sensible to have enough back stock to ensure you never run out, so order your quantities accordingly.
If you’re in need of more hygiene and safety products (like social distancing signs, PPE, hand care and cleaning supplies) then check out on supplies site to see what you can get for your business – we’ve even created a COVID category for easy browsing!
Deep Clean
Before your close your doors for Christmas day, make sure your business is properly sorted, scrubbed and sanitised.
The opportunity for days off over bank holidays provides the perfect time to blitz your workplace from top to bottom. It may not be the most festive of tasks, but it is one of the most important.
Know Your Waste Collection Dates
Even in the times before COVID, businesses have always had to keep on top of waste collection dates around this time of year.
There are plenty of hygiene risks associated with an overflow of waste, so it’s best to avoid the health and safety nightmare of missing collection days.
If you haven’t been provided with a schedule from your Waste Management provider yet, then it’s probably best to get in touch with them. The sooner you know your collection days, the sooner you can prepare for any delays and ensure staff are available to put bins out at the right time.
For high quality and price-competitive Waste Management solutions, check out our waste collection services here.
Keep Staying Safe
We know it’s been a tough year for all sorts of businesses across the UK. A lot of sacrifices have been made for the purposes of safety, and at Direct365 we commend all those workplaces who have been staying safe during the pandemic.
While we want you to have a phenomenal Christmas, we also want you, your staff and your customers to feel safe and assured. Check out our #StaySafe articles for more guidance on running a healthy and happy business during these times.
Merry Christmas from Direct365!