2022 is nearly upon us. After losing most of 2020 and 2021 to the coronavirus pandemic, it’s time to prepare for a (hopefully) more stable and prosperous post-Covid world.
How many of our small business New Year resolutions will your business be carrying out?
Five small business New Year resolutions
Bypass the competition by getting your business in shape for the New Year with these three small business resolutions.
1. Invest in cyber security
Cyber criminals are going nowhere – as technology improves, so cyber crime gets more sophisticated.
October this year was Cyber Security Month, but even raised awareness of the problems posed by hackers wasn’t enough to deter the cyber criminals. On the one hand, the 421,103,896 data records that were confirmed to have been breached in October represents about 50% of the monthly average. But, on the other hand, there were a staggering 111 incidents, including several in which sensitive and financial information was compromised.
Although it’s impossible to completely keep hackers at bay, your company should be doing the following as a bare minimum:
- Regularly back up your company’s data.
- Create a firewall that prevents outsiders from accessing your private network.
- Invest in the latest security software, web browser, and operating systems on your company’s computers. These measures are the best defenses against viruses, malware, and other online threats.
- Set antivirus software to scan regularly.
- Require employees to change their passwords every three months.
For more useful information, check out Is your cyber security up to scratch?
2. Work more efficiently
The pandemic has all but killed off the nine-to-five. If your business offered flexible working when it had to, why not keep it going?
The economy thrives on SMEs providing jobs, so we’d never advocate streamlining the workforce, but we should all look at how we can work more efficiently – this could be by allowing staff to work from home, offering flexible working hours (who really needs the 9-to-5 anyway?), or by using technology to help your employees work smarter. This includes using a conference call service to hold meetings instead of insisting staff need to be in the office. For more information, go to https://www.conferencecall.co.uk/conference-call
Be more environmentally friendly
The climate change is something we all need to sit up and take notice of. The carbon cut off date of 2050 – or even 2030 – suddenly seems very real. So take this opportunity to make your business more energy environmentally friendly by switching to a green energy deal and implementing some simple energy efficiency measures at your workplace, such as:
- Encouraging staff to turn off lights in rooms that aren’t in use
- Switch to environmentally-friendly light bulbs and equipment
- Try to avoid printing off emails and documents
Focus on health and wellbeing
The physical and metal health of people the world over has taken a hammering through Covid-19 and its associated lockdowns. If the last two years have taught us anything, it’s that health and wellbeing has to be a priority for everyone.
So try to do everything you can to improve the health and wellbeing of yourself and your staff. If you’re a busy business owner, take the time out to switch off from work and spend time with friends, family, or on your own if that’s what you prefer. Take up a new hobby to relax, exercise, get fresh air, anything to help your physical and mental health. The important thing is to make sure you’re not always switched on.
And make sure your employees have the chance to do the same by offering time off and support as and when they need it.
5. Get a good conference call provider
Spending hours on end commuting to and from work or travelling the country to visit clients isn’t a good use of anyone’s time. So why not cut down on travel time and conduct meeting remotely. Our conference call service allows up to 100 participants on one call and can be set up using a landline or mobile.
For more information, check out how to make a conference call.
How is your business planning on ringing the changes for 2022? Let us know your small business New Year resolutions in the comments below.
