News and views

What seemed unthinkable a few short weeks ago has become the new normal in so many different parts of our lives. One of the most obvious is the impact social distancing has had on the way we work. Any organisation that has been able to move some or all of its operations online has embraced working remotely.

While the government’s wage subsidy helped companies with staffing costs, it appears that the Government has ruled out subsidising the rents for businesses struggling to pay the rent on their commercial property. Instead, it is considering a law change to place a greater onus on landlords and tenants to negotiate a fair reduction.

Most business people don't like change. They like things to stay the same. However, the new reality means you can't keep doing what you’ve always done and hope that everything is going to be okay. You can't go into this blindly.

If you are working your way through the steps of this COVID-19 process, we hope you are making some progress. And remember, this is a marathon, not a sprint. You don’t have to do all five steps this week.

As we suggested in our first article, an analysis of your current business situation must consider your internal and external environment. A business will grow when, on the one hand, it has efficient and cost-effective internal processes, and on the other, great new offerings that clients want to buy and are happy to recommend to others

As more information becomes available about how the country and the economy rebuilds as the lockdown restrictions are eased, some of the bigger strategic decisions will become clearer. Regardless of how long it takes for things to return to ‘normal’, businesses need to look inwards before directing their focus outwards.

There has been much discussion lately about whether, and by how much, rental for commercial premises should be reduced because of the Covid-19 lockdown.

This week will hopefully see New Zealand take the first small steps on a return to something resembling normality after the four-week lockdown on Alert Level Four. Regardless of how the government handles the transition out of lockdown, it will be a new normal and a new reality — that much is obvious.