How To Prepare Your Business for Winter
With winter nearly at our doorstep, many businesses are making plans for holiday sales and changing to cold-weather inventory. However, as you decide how to prepare your business for winter, preparations should not end with how the season will impact sales. The physical implications of colder temperatures are just as impactful to business functions, and you must prepare accordingly.
Winterize Your Property
As property owners, we are used to taking precautions to make sure our homes are ready to face the ravages of cold weather. The same should be done for your business, especially if you own the building in which you operate. Some chores to keep in mind as the temperatures dip include:
- Examining plumbing and dripping faucets in extreme cold
- Assessing building for drafts
- Installing automated thermostats
- Stocking up on pavement salt
- Purchasing emergency supplies for power loss
- Having roof examined and gutters cleaned
- Checking carbon monoxide and smoke detectors
Review Winter Care of Equipment
Depending on the equipment your business utilizes, you may need to change how workers use it as weather conditions change. For instance, if your business operates a fleet of vehicles, you may need to replace the tires before snowy weather settles in. If you run a warehouse, you should examine how forklift operations will change with the cold weather.
Establish Extreme Weather Plans
In case of extreme weather, your employees should be aware of protocol for emergency closures or other occurrences such as power outages. Employees should be aware of what conditions signify emergency closure. You should also inform them of the procedure in case they must stay at home. In the event of outages, managers should tell employees where to find emergency supplies such as flashlights. In addition, you must be prepared with a means of backing up files.
Preparing your business for winter sales and services is important as the seasons change. But making sure the building and employees are ready will give you the foundation to have a great winter.
