5 Tips for IT Startups to Survive the COVID-19 Crisis

With this new pandemic having fully changed our everyday lives and routines, many companies are afraid of the changes this can bring to their productivity and profits. While the financial effects will be fully understood after the end of the pandemic, IT companies are still in a position to ensure their survival.

Startups are usually the ones most affected in such situations. IT startups fall within a category that can survive this pandemic as long as adjustments are made early on. Here are some of the most important tips you need to follow in order to help your company survive the COVID-19 crisis.

1. Adjusting to working from home

With everyone being forced to stay at home in order to try and limit the spread of the virus, companies have to make adjustments. Allowing your employees to work from home for as long as it is necessary is important and can help your company survive. Startups should find it easier to adjust to such situations, as they do not yet have a lot of employees and splitting responsibilities can be simpler.

What you need to do in order to make sure that this transition goes smoothly is to make sure that all of your employees have everything they need in order to work from home. This might include their laptops from work, specific tools or software you all need or access to certain phone numbers. As long as these are necessary, you should work on finding a way to make them available for everyone that needs them.

2. Making downsizing a priority

Downsizing might be an important action during these uncertain times. As a startup, downsizing by firing employees is not a good idea. These are the people that probably helped you start your project and you need such dedicated employees in the long run. Instead, you should discuss other measures, such as temporary reductions in their salaries.

While this is a financially difficult situation for everyone, it is best to accept certain personal sacrifices that will ensure the future of the company.

“Reducing your total company expenses to the minimum will impact your personal finances and the financial situation of your employees. On the other hand, though, it will help everyone make sure they still have their jobs after this situation is over”

advises Melanie SOVANN, the head of content marketing for Subjecto.

3. Not forgetting about your company goals

Something that no startup should forget during this pandemic is the reason why it was created and its future goals. The common goal of every employee of the company is what will keep everyone working harder during these difficult times. Therefore, you should make an effort to remind everyone of your goals during meetings and conversations.

This is important to do while everyone is present in an online meeting, where you will be able to speak to everyone. Share stats and remind your employees of how their hard work has paid off so far. The more inspired and appreciated they feel, the easier it will be for them to stick to their goals and work hard.

4. Prioritize meetings and communication

Even though everyone might be working from home, it is no excuse to miss out on meetings and communication with their co-workers. One of the things that you should put together quickly is a weekly schedule of meetings and obligations. Whether you wish to continue holding certain workshops or any other company-related activity, a schedule will make everything easier.

There are a few different tools you can use in order to make this as soon as possible and without any errors. First of all, tools such as Toggl Plan can help you put together your schedule easily and in an organized manner. In addition to this, ClassyEssay, Hemmingway Editor and Studyker can help you proofread and edit everything you wish to include in your schedule.

Making sure the weekly schedule, as well as the emails you will be sending out to your employees, look well-put-together is essential. By seeing you put effort into the way you contact them, your employees will want to be just as productive. Being the leading example will definitely work in your company’s favor in this situation too.

5. Using the help of your remote employees

If your startup already has some remote workers in your team, you should make sure that you use their help in order to make everyone’s transition easier. Working from home is an everyday thing for certain people. These are the ones who will help the rest of your team find ways to adjust and stay productive.

A good idea is to pair up your remote employees with certain other employees and have them help with anything they might need. Making sure every employee in your startup has someone to turn to for questions and help is very important. This will make the workflow smoother and people will be much more productive in this new situation.

Adjusting to this new reality

While this situation will not last forever and it won’t be long before we can break out of the quarantine, companies and especially startups need to make adjustments in order to ensure their survival during these difficult times.

At the end of the day, this might be a good chance for IT startups to give remote workers a boost and see how they can expand their reach online. Conquering new markets and target audiences during this situation can help your sales skyrocket when all of this is over.

About the Author:

Helene Cue is a passionate writer and editor who explores a broad spectrum of topics that revolve around marketing and tech. She currently works as an editor at FreeEssayWriter and as a content creator at WriteScout. Her pieces are always captivating and informative.

Image taken from: https://www.pexels.com/photo/grayscale-photo-of-computer-laptop-near-white-notebook-and-ceramic-mug-on-table-169573/