“Baby its cold outside!”
Whether it’s wet, cold, windy or sunny, the UK weather is one of our most popular topics of conversation. And it’s only becoming more so as the weather becomes more unpredictable and extreme.
However, for small business, just talking about severe weather isn’t enough. They also need to prepare for the worst, in order to reduce the potential impact of a flood, storm or heavy snow on their business. A lack of personnel and resources may mean that small businesses can take longer to recover from damage caused by severe weather compared to a large employer. In worst-case scenarios, this could result in a major loss or even business failure – with potentially life-changing consequences for owners and employees. Local communities are likely to also be affected due to reduced access to products or services.
Emergency plan
With small businesses making up 99.9% of businesses in the UK and employing 16.1 million people, severe weather represents a significant risk. Yet 43% of small businesses currently don’t have a business continuity, disaster recovery or crisis management plan in place. This means that when bad weather hits, it could have particularly devastating consequences. So what can small business owners do to limit the effects of severe weather on their business?
To help small businesses who may simply not know where to start, Business in the Community has created the 10 Minute Plan. The tool helps small businesses to develop a bespoke emergency plan, so they are better prepared for – and able to respond to and recover from – a range of emergencies, including extreme weather events. The 10 Minute Plan sets out in a step-by-step approach what small businesses need to take into account when developing their emergency plan, as well as a checklist of what the plan could include.
Would you be ready?
And of course, it isn’t just severe weather which poses a threat to small businesses. The Would you be ready? online Readiness Test helps small businesses to see how prepared they are for a range of situations, including a cyber attack and is full of simple and easy tips to help small businesses improve their preparedness..
With winter fast approaching, now is the time for small businesses to ensure they are ready for extreme weather conditions. By taking 10 minutes to assess the risks and reduce the impact these events could have, they can safeguard their assets and – if the worst happens – get back to business, back to profit and back to growth sooner. Keep up to date and get more info from the met office here