NOT A FRANCHISE, A BUSINESS OWNER’S ALLIANCE

Coronavirus Business Continuity: Best Practices For Sign Businesses

Coronavirus Business Continuity: Best Practices For Sign Businesses

With reopening plans paused across the country, coronavirus business continuity is a hot topic. Today’s post shares sign shop continuity tips for those providing essential services during unprecedented times.

Preparing Your Sign Shop For The ‘New Normal’

As coronavirus numbers spike in hot-spots across the country, several states have paused their reopening plans for the foreseeable future.

“We all want to get back to doing all the things we love during the summer, and fully open our economy, but we aren’t there yet,” Governor Jay Inslee told CNN in regards to Washington’s decision to join 11 other states in pausing their reopening plans earlier this month. “This is an evolving situation and we will continue to make decisions based on the data.”

But even as states reclose, sign shops around the country remain open. From the very start of the pandemic, the International Sign Association advised sign and graphics companies that “our industry is “essential and must remain open to continue to serve vital infrastructure, manufacturing and retail services throughout the country.” Even now, SignWorld partners are working hard on the front lines to produce and install COVID-19 safety equipment and other essential signage.

In order to reopen your business safely, special protocols need to be in place. SignWorld partners know this—our continuity plans ensured our partners had all the support they needed to keep employees safe and slow the spread while continuing operations—but independent sign shops might need a little help. To that end, we’re sharing some key components of our coronavirus business continuity plan below.

10 Steps Sign Shop Owners Can Take To Reduce Workers’ Risk Of Exposure

The following 10 best practices are recommended by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration for sign shops remaining open amidst the pandemic:

  1. Maintain at least 6 feet of space between coworkers and others outside your household. Staggering shifts at your sign shop is a great way to thin out the crowds.
  2. Wear masks indoors and when unable to maintain social distance. Try to stock some extra masks in the shop in case your employees forget.
  3. Encourage workers to stay home if sick. Make it known within your company culture that employees need to take care of one another.
  4. Enforce respiratory etiquette (i.e. covering coughs, sneezing into the crook of your elbow, etc).
  5. Provide dedicated hand-washing stations or anytime-access to alcohol-based hand rubs containing at least 60% alcohol.
  6. Limit worksite access to essential workers only—no in-shop consultations, friends, or family visitors at this time. Though it might chafe at first, this policy will make your employees feel much more at ease in the workplace.
  7. Establish flexible worksites and processes (e.g. telecommuting, staggered shifts to reduce in-shop congestion, remote graphic design consultations). In particular, consider expanding into online services and contactless sign delivery—SignWorld partners made upwards of 50% of their income via website sales alone, and that was before the pandemic drove up demand for these services.
  8. Prohibit sharing of equipment (e.g. phones, desks, sign tools). If it’s unavoidable, try to stagger shifts or tasks to avoid equipment being passed back and forth, and be diligent about sanitizing.
  9. Regularly clean and disinfect all surfaces, equipment, and high-contact objects (e.g. door handles).
  10. Use Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)-approved cleaning solutions with label claims of proven effectiveness against coronavirus.

Get In Touch With The Signworld Business Alliance For More Coronavirus Sign-Shop Continuity Tips

Visit the SignWorld website or call 888-765-7446 to speak with a representative and learn more about how we’re supporting sign shop owners during these unprecedented times.

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NOT A FRANCHISE, A BUSINESS OWNER’S ALLIANCE