With Texas fully open for business, it’s time to make your pivot and adjust to society’s new norm.

Customers aren’t necessarily ready to flock back into stores. For example, Baby Boomers, who used to prefer to shop in-store before COVID, are still extremely hesitant (and understandably so) to make the move back to in-store shopping.

Who knows when, if ever, in-store shopping will return to its pre-COVID status?

Whenever dramatic market shifts occur, you can make mistakes that hamper your effectiveness.

Here’s a few big ones to watch out for, and what to do instead:

1. Don’t Be Adamant Everyone Works In-Office

The Society for Human Resources Management performed a survey of employees to gauge their attitudes about the many issues COVID presents to their work.

52% said they would work from home permanently if given the option.

Don’t think that you necessarily need to let everyone work from home. But have the willingness to be flexible.

Maybe let your employees work from home a few days per week.

After all, many studies show that employees who work from home are much more productive.

One such study found that remote employees get an additional 1.3 days’ worth of work done per month – and a shocking 3 weeks more per year!

2. Don’t Charge Ahead with Employee Temperature-Taking

Yes. You’re keeping everyone safe by trying to detect COVID aren’t you?

True, but there’s a number of catches to consider first, according to an article at Business Insider.

For one, you’ll have to pay your employees while they wait around to have their temperature taken. The next problem is that you’ll have to worry about keeping that biometric data private. And then you’ll have to figure out how to social distance employees while they wait to get their temperature taken.

One possible alternative would be to contract with a healthcare company to do the work. But, then you have to go out and evaluate your options and deal with any frictions working with a new vendor causes.

Suddenly, a seemingly simple thing becomes a little bit more challenging.

3. Not Protecting Yourself from Liability

Interviewing potential new candidates by phone or video can help you avoid liability when hiring.

But when you think about it, there’s so many opportunities for potential candidates and current employees to hold you liable for harm to their health in their return to work.

And you can’t force them to simply get the vaccination either.

Simply having your employees sign a waiver won’t do the job either. Waivers are frequently unenforceable.

You may be able to get around this somewhat and reduce your risk by creating an arbitration agreement or possibly working to reduce the time employees have to sue you.

But neither of those are perfect guarantees. It’s just another challenge you have to be aware of and ready to navigate as society re-opens.

It’s not easy being an executive and making these decisions. But someone has to do the job.

Now you have greater awareness of some pressing issues and some context to help you make the right decision for your company.