Safety As A Priority For Your Small Business

Once you have created or updated your safety plan, share the details with your employees. These details should include your sanitation and disinfection practices, your hand-washing guidelines, and any new steps you added to procedures to make them safer. The more they know about what you are doing to keep people safe, the safer they will feel.
June 19, 2020 | Business
By: Aaron S.
Aaron joined Acuity in 2017 as our Retail Specialist—bringing with him almost 30 years of experience in a broad range of retail. He started his career stocking shelves in the seasonal department at a local retailer. A few years later, Aaron transitioned to a gas station/convenience store, where he worked second shift while getting his degree in organizational communications from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. It was during this time he made the move to the loss prevention and safety aspect of retail. Over the next 25 years, he worked in various retail segments, including video games, cosmetics/skincare, hardware/appliances, pharmacy/grocery, and clothing. Aaron held several positions during this time, including District Loss Prevention Manager, Regional Loss Prevention Manager, Regional Compliance Auditor, and National Manager of Loss Prevention and Operations. Outside work, Aaron likes to spend time with his wife (who has also worked in retail for over 20 years) and their twin teenage boys. They enjoy being outdoors on the water, fishing, and camping. As the Retail Specialist, Aaron’s goal is to enhance the partnership between retailers and Acuity by showing retailers that an insurance company can be a supportive resource and that Acuity truly understands their industry.

Don’t just tell your customers and employees that safety is important.  You also need to show them through actions your business is taking.  

 

Once you have created or updated your safety plan, share the details with your employees. These details should include your sanitation and disinfection practices, your hand-washing guidelines, and any new steps you added to procedures to make them safer. The more they know about what you are doing to keep people safe, the safer they will feel.

 

Here are some ways you can inform customers, employees, and the public about your retail operation’s commitment to safety:

 

  • Use proper signage to explain to customers what your business is doing to create the safest environment possible.  
  • Ensure your employees understand your business safety plan. They are your direct line to your customers, and you want them to be informed and prepared to answer any questions. 
  • Remember that customer safety starts with employee safety. The general public will notice what you do to take care of your employees, so share that information. Remember, your employees are part of the local community, and the community will appreciate the steps you take to protect them.
  • Make sure your website shows your commitment to safety as well. Answer any frequently asked questions you know your customers want answered.
  • Be informative with your safety information, stay up to date as things change, and make sure you do what you say you are going to do.
  • Customers will have varying comfort levels and you need to be able to support them in as many ways as possible. Listen to your customers’ feedback and respond to it. Address their requests when you can and, if you can’t, tell them why. 
  • Keep your message positive and forward looking.
  • Be transparent and provide timely updates on what you are doing to be safe. Make sure the information is relevant to your customers' needs.
  • Review any customer-facing processes and work to provide options for your customers that promote safety.  

 

Safety for small business is more important now than ever before. Recent events have shown us that safety in social spaces is very important and tied to the comfort level of employees and customers alike. Making safety a priority is important and sharing that with your customers will be critical going forward.

By: Aaron S.
Aaron joined Acuity in 2017 as our Retail Specialist—bringing with him almost 30 years of experience in a broad range of retail. He started his career stocking shelves in the seasonal department at a local retailer. A few years later, Aaron transitioned to a gas station/convenience store, where he worked second shift while getting his degree in organizational communications from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. It was during this time he made the move to the loss prevention and safety aspect of retail. Over the next 25 years, he worked in various retail segments, including video games, cosmetics/skincare, hardware/appliances, pharmacy/grocery, and clothing. Aaron held several positions during this time, including District Loss Prevention Manager, Regional Loss Prevention Manager, Regional Compliance Auditor, and National Manager of Loss Prevention and Operations. Outside work, Aaron likes to spend time with his wife (who has also worked in retail for over 20 years) and their twin teenage boys. They enjoy being outdoors on the water, fishing, and camping. As the Retail Specialist, Aaron’s goal is to enhance the partnership between retailers and Acuity by showing retailers that an insurance company can be a supportive resource and that Acuity truly understands their industry.