By Devan Moonsamy
Johannesburg - Being a business owner comes with its challenges on an ordinary day, but on days when the power is out every few hours, those challenges can become impossible to cope with.
Small business owners are the ones facing the worst of the load shedding which has plagued us these past few weeks. The fluctuating levels from stage 5 to 3 and so on, have made it impossible to plan the workday with a minimum of disruption.
Besides the power cuts impacting productivity, it is also causing supplier delays, as well as disruptions to the workflow. The load shedding causes traffic delays, and this results in suppliers or drivers not meeting the delivery deadlines that businesses promise their customers.
The power outages can also cause staff members to arrive late for work. For many who work from home, the power outages might now force them back to the office to cope with the workload, as load shedding at home cuts in on their work time.
The group impacted the most is small business owners. When the power is out, clients have to be turned away, especially in service businesses like a salon or printing facilities.
For those running supermarkets or small convenience stores, the power cuts can see food produce losing its quality. Fridges in the business would be without power for some time, and this might cause items in the fridges to go bad. The stock loss is obviously a concern for the business.
The reality is that some small businesses are unable to purchase generators at the capacity that it is necessary to power up the entire store during load shedding. The load shedding also causes damage to the equipment in the business, and many business owners might not have that sort of cash to service the equipment damaged during the load-shedding period.
Load shedding also brings a security risk, as it can see a rise in the criminal element. In the area when the power goes out, potential criminal activities might transpire. This will cause the business to incur further losses. Whether it is theft or even robbery, load shedding leaves businesses more susceptible to criminal activity.
It has been just a few months of normalcy since the dawn of Covid-19. The coronavirus brought not just a deadly virus in its wake, but a disruptive streak of mayhem that has resulted in the loss of economic prosperity for small business owners.
Just as businesses are slowly recovering from the blows dealt them by Covid-19, the newest stumbling block in their way is the continuous load shedding. While the electricity blackouts seem to have us slowing down in our tracks, let us look at 3 ways to work around the challenges presented to small businesses from load shedding:
- Flexibility is key in the wake of load shedding. Allow your team members to work flexibly during the load shedding schedule. This means checking the schedule ahead of time and being informed of your times of load shedding. The structuring or putting together of a schedule must be flexible. This could also mean adjusting start and finish times to ensure work is completed in the times when there is power available, to prevent production delays.
- Work on an alternate energy source. There are a number of possible solutions to keep the power on in the workspace. The easiest is a generator. This does, however, come at a cost. Instead, assess the situation in the office. Look at the processes which require the most work to be done. If it is a booking or reservation computer that must be up and running, try to get a UPS to power up those areas, as it is essential to the business. You may also use this time to catch up on admin and filing.
- Avoid stockpiling. In light of the current situation with load shedding, avoid stocking up on items that require being put in the fridge. Rather order and stock them as you need them. This will minimise stock wastage and will also allow you to better manage the goods on hand. Use plug protectors to prevent damage to equipment. This can be helpful in preventing damage to equipment in the long term.
* The views expressed here are not necessarily those of IOL or of title sites.
** Devan Moonsamy is the CEO of ICHAF Training Institute, a South African Corporate Training Provider & National Learning Institute. He is the author of Racism, Classism, Sexism, And The Other ISMs That Divide Us, AND My Leadership Legacy Journal.
IOL Business