Winter is well and truly here, and so are the darker mornings and nights. It can be a real testing time to be running a business making it particularly difficult, especially if you have a business premises and employees to be thinking about. I thought now would be the ideal time as everyone is winding down for Christmas to discuss some of the ways Winter can affect the smooth running of your empire. Hopefully, arming you with solutions for a positive start to the year ahead. After all, the colder weather isn’t going to be leaving us for a few months yet.
The threat of illness
At this time of year those pesky colds, flu and winter bugs are lurking. This can be quite detrimental to your business, especially if you have people that you rely on. Getting one of these illnesses making the rounds around your office means that you can all end up feeling a little ill at the time of year. While you may not be able to stop the cold from hitting you or your team, you can make it a little easier on everyone to get the rest they need. Sometimes working from home or even allowing time off to pick up medicine from the pharmacy can help nip these things in the bud. Illness can get some of the best of us, and often it’s because we are working too hard and putting in more hours, and our bodies just shut down. So take the time, spot the signs and be understanding that sometimes it’s good business to rest. You will be far more productive afterwards.
Water leaks and burst pipes
Weather can be a huge problem at this time of year, and it can range from being mild to rather severe in a matter of hours. One of the things we can be under threat from is a huge amount of rainfall and then freezing temperatures. Water leaks can happen if gutters and drains can’t handle the pressure of the excess water, which could cause a leak and damage to your premises and even stock you may have. Freezing temperatures can freeze the pipes into your business, but once the weather warms up the pressure can cause those pipes to burst. Thankfully, insulating those pipes and using suitable insulation adhesives can help prevent it from happening.
Heating breaking down
With winter comes colder temperatures and it can become unbearable to focus or work if the office or location you are working in is cold. Make sure your heating system is in full working order before the colder weather making an appearance. The last thing anyone wants is the temperature to plummet because the heating system has broken down. Some businesses can take out extra insurance to ensure that should this happen, an engineer is out to you on the same day to rectify the problem. Speaking to your energy supplier will inform you of the options you have.
I hope this has helped you become more aware of the disasters that could hit your business this winter.
