SME Diaries: Covid-19 has been both challenging and eye-opening for our 40-year-old fire protection business

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Our company sells everyday fire protection equipment and has been operating for more than 40 years. The early days of the circuit breaker were difficult for us.

But what I did not anticipate was that the next two years would present one of the most challenging situations our company has faced.

To help manage cash flow issues, the management team took the lead in bearing pay cuts to ensure we can tide through the circuit breaker. After the circuit breaker, we prioritised restoring pay levels for non-management staff first, followed by the rest after we were in the clear. One of our managers even had to personally mediate with a landlord as our staff was being subject to forceful eviction. This was when public sentiment was fearful of Covid-19 positive individuals. Thankfully, we managed to find a peaceful resolution through the help of government agencies.

We chose to view these disruptions as the perfect opportunity to experiment with new ways of doing things and improve the business for the future.

 

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