Chamber Members,

With the impacts of COVID-19 on our local business community already in effect, in addition to good hand hygiene and common-sense precautions with your employees and patrons, the Valdosta-Lowndes Chamber encourages all local businesses to consider the following: 
  1. For your business: Prepare for negative economic impacts.
    • Capital: Create, confirm, or expand your line of credit. 
    • Staffing: Develop staffing plans for varying levels of customers and revenue (what does an 80% scenario plan look like?).
    • Insurance: Check with your insurance provider to understand your coverage and options.
  2. For your customers: Make your place of business as hygienic as possible and communicate what you are doing to customers, so they feel comfortable visiting. 
  3. For your employees: Check, modify, and communicate HR policies regarding remote working, sick-leave, and compensation during health crisis. Try to ensure your policies are as flexible and non-punitive as possible. Sick employees should be encouraged to stay home. 
  4. For your workflow: Cross-train employees for key functions so that daily schedules can continue relatively uninterrupted by potential employee absences. Where relevant, consider staggering start and end times to reduce large numbers of people coming together at the same time; and create and test remote employee collaboration systems (consider apps such as Slack and Zoom).
  5. For your cashflow: Communicate with your landlord (or tenants) and lenders about expectations and request flexibility (better to have that conversation now).
  6. For yourself: Eat well, sleep, and exercise. Taking care of yourself in this time of stress will improve your resistance to infection and resilience in managing difficult business situations. And of course, wash your hands all the darn time and don’t touch your face, or anyone else’s, for that matter.  
  7. For your Chamber: For us to best serve you, we need to know and share what our members are doing to manage risks. To that end, please tell us what’s working and what you need from us!
Our Chamber office is still working but is closed to the public. If you need assistance, please call or email. Please keep an eye on our website for updates on events, Chamber news, and resources to help your business weather this trying time.
 
Sincerely,

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